Crush
by Nova Starlight
Summary: This is a rewrite of "High School Desires" and though the story has a similar start, the plot will diverge from the original.Goten and Trunks are in high school and Goten has a crush on Trunks. Will he be able to confess? What will Trunks's reaction be?
1. 1st Period: I Wish I Could Be As

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or any of its characters.

Author's Notes: This is a rewrite of an old Trunks/Goten story of mine. I hope you enjoy it and if you are interested in reading the original you can find it at my website under the title "High School Desires"

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

1st Period: I Wish I Could Be As Invisible As You Make Me Feel…

It was the end of another long and boring day at school and Goten sat at his desk slowly waiting for the hands of the clock to move those last precious centimeters and release him. This was the worst part of the day, trapped in his chair, restless and waiting for the freedom outside of this stuffy classroom. After the school bell chimed his time was most often spent with his best friend Trunks. They would work on homework, have dinner, at each other's houses, and were for the most part inseparable. The only thing that ever effected this routine was if Trunks had a girlfriend; which at the moment, he did.

When Trunks had a girlfriend, Goten could not help but feel invisible. He would be at home alone…working on his homework alone…and wondering where Trunks was, and what he was doing at that moment. Thankfully for him, Trunks's relationships never lasted long and were always ended by Trunks himself. This meant that he never had to spend any of his time with his friend consoling him over some girl; when it was over for Trunks, it was over, and the girl was never a topic of conversation. Goten knew he should chastise him for his ruthlessness, but he never had the heart.

He looked over at Trunks, sitting at his own desk on the other side of the room. He was in the row closest to the window and seemed to be staring out at the cloudy sky, paying no attention to the clock on the wall. He wondered what Trunks was thinking about as he stared out the window. He could not stop himself from considering if he were thinking about his current girlfriend, Kyoko. Trunks had been dating Kyoko for almost a month now, which meant either that he would be bored with her soon or that she was the one who had finally managed to catch him for good.

He smiled derisively to himself as he thought about it. Trunks had dated most of the attractive girls in the school at one point or another and none of them had made it more than a month. You would think a reputation like that would make him someone that all the girls would stay away from, but it seemed to have the exact opposite effect. The girls saw him as a challenge, wanting to be the one he would fall in love with. This led to some strange reactions when they broke up, ranging from inconsolable tears to bitter anger that they had not been able to conquer him.

When the bell finally rang, Goten reached his arms above his head and stretched as the rest of his classmates scrambled to grab their books and papers. As he stood, he noticed that Trunks was standing beside the door and was watching him as he gathered his things. When he approached him, he simply smiled and started to walk past him into the hallway, but Trunks stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Wait for me, we'll work on homework at my house."

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about Kyoko, to ask if he had already dumped her but instead he just walked down the hall to his locker. As he grabbed his bag and the books he would need for that evening's work he was excited. He had barely spent any time with Trunks in the last few weeks and to be honest he had begun to worry himself that Trunks might have been serious about this particular girl. As he finished and put the lock back on his locker he decided to go looking for Trunks. As he approached he could see Trunks and Kyoko standing there talking. "Damn," he thought to himself. "Trunks must be breaking up with her right now." He knew he should walk away and give them some privacy but he felt as if his feet were rooted to the ground.

He watched as Kyoko moved forward to kiss Trunks and he quickly moved his head to the side to avoid it. "I need to talk to you," he said sternly. She looked surprised at first and then her face become a portrait of knowing sadness. His tone of voice did not allow for discussion or argument as he continued, "I want to break up." Then he turned away from her and opened his locker to gather his books. At that moment he seemed to finally sense that Goten was standing there and his gaze rose to look him in the eyes. Goten could not describe the strange look on his face; he was smiling, it seemed almost sadistic.

When Trunks turned back, he seemed surprised that she was still standing there. There was the evidence of single tear that traced down her cheek, that triggered a response of pity and what seemed to be a look of disgust from Trunks. However, Goten's pity for her did not last long. As Trunks faced her she reared back her hand and slapped Trunks with all of her might. It was a slap he could have easily avoided, but he allowed it to connect and then sighed as she ran down the hallway. Goten saw that Trunks was looking at him again and his head fell. He felt embarrassed for having been witness to all of this, but Trunks seemed ignorant of his discomfort.

At Capsule Corp. Trunks attitude was drastically different. He had a gentle smile on his face as he rushed through the door kicking off his shoes and pulling Goten up the stairs to his room. Goten felt at ease and it never ceased to amaze him how quickly Kyoko and everyone else was forgotten when he was with Trunks. When they made it into Trunks's bedroom he sat down on the bed and began to pull books from his bag. Trunks sat down beside him on the bed and groaned, "Oh come on Goten, we just got out of school, its too early to start on homework."

This relaxed atmosphere made Goten feel bolder, more playful, the same way they had been as kids. He smiled and tackled Trunks back onto the bed. "Fine," he said. "What do you want to do?" His smile faltered a little as he realized just how husky his voice had become as he had asked that question. "Oh shit," he thought to himself. "Had Trunks noticed?" He quickly sought to defuse the tension by grabbing a nearby pillow and playfully hitting Trunks with it. Trunks smiled up at him and brought his arm up between them and used it to flip Goten back onto the bed. As Trunks then pinned him down to the bed, Goten could feel his heart pounding in his ears. "Oh, God, he could begin to feel the stirring in his body and tried to fight it. "Damn, he needed to relax, that last thing he needed was for Trunks to notice his reaction." Though he was embarrassed and excited by his body's response, his eyes met Trunks and stayed there; unable to look away.

After what seemed like an hour of silence but was just a matter of seconds, Trunks laughed and moved off of him. "Come on, I guess we better get this homework out of the way before my Mom comes up here and rips us a new one." Goten was a little relived that Trunks had not seemed to notice the tension and discomfort. They laid beside each other on their stomachs and worked on their homework in silence. The next few hours were torture for Goten and it was next to impossible to concentrate because as they laid there beside each other their thighs and shoulders would occasionally brush up against each other. He found that every time it happened, it felt like a little shock was running through his body.

He actually felt a little relieved when Bulma came up and sent him home. He needed some air and a moment to think. He took to the skies and could not stop thinking back on the events of the day. Though there had been nothing particularly out of the ordinary that had happened that day, he still felt a little uneasy. "Its probably just from seeing Trunks dump his girlfriend like that," he tried to tell himself. As Trunks's friend he always seemed to get caught up in his relationships; the girls would always come to him and ask him what they had done wrong. One time there had even been a girl that had pursued Goten in an effort to make Trunks jealous. Of course, it had not worked because Goten had absolutely no interest in her, or any other girl for that matter. For as long as he could remember, he had been in love with Trunks, and for as long as he could remember he had been to scared to ever let him know.

He sighed and mused to himself, how long would he be able to keep this up. How long would he be able to stay close to Trunks and handle the pain of it never being enough? He and Trunks were close now, because they were in high school but what would happen next year when it was time for Trunks to go off to college? Goten knew better than anybody that he was not really college material and even if he made it in, how would he afford it? The whole thing was just pointless, Trunks's life was all planned out for him; prestigious school, run Capsule Corp., continue the Briefs legacy. Every step along that road would force them farther and farther apart. Maybe, he should just start distancing himself now, maybe not.

He barely noticed as he nearly flew into a mountainside, and he barely managed to avoid it in time. He could not stop the nervous laugh that bubbled up his throat. Damn, thinking like this while flying was going to get him killed. He tried to put it all out of his mind as he continued home and when he landed he could hear the playful bickering from both his house and his brother's. He smiled and thought to himself, "I need to cheer up, even if Trunks and I grow apart I have my family right?"

Once in his room, he collapsed onto his bed and yawned. He could not believe how tired he was, maybe his brain was just exhausted from over thinking and over examining everything when it came to Trunks. He turned onto his side and pulled one of his pillows under his head. When he opened his eyes and looked at the bedside table, his gaze fell on a framed picture of himself and Trunks. It had been taken at the beach the previous summer and it was one of his favorite pictures.

In the photo, you could see that his eyes were not focused ahead but instead were staring over at Trunks. Trunks was smiling brightly and the sunglasses perched on his perfect nose had slipped so that you could see his bright blue eyes over the rims. His arm had been wrapped around Goten and though he had felt awkward at the time, he wished now he could have relaxed and enjoyed that moment of closeness while it lasted. Of course, his focus traveled to the one part of the picture that he despised, the group of girls that you could see in the background. Each of the girls were wearing skimpy bikinis and trying to catch Trunks's attention all day, they had harassed the pair almost endlessly. By the time the sun was beginning to set and he was ready to tell them off Trunks had invited two of them to have dinner with them.

It was interesting to think back on that evening now. It was the first time he had truly admitted to himself that he was in love with Trunks. The girl who ended up being stuck with him, spent the whole time staring at Trunks but he was not jealous, because he could scarcely look away himself. As the pairs had split up, the girl he had been talking with excused herself and Goten had been left there sitting alone on the beach. He had watched the waves for what had seemed like hours before deciding to go and find Trunks. He walked along the beach until he saw Trunks and that girl, lying in the sand, underneath the moonlight. He could have interrupted them, but he was frozen for a moment.

Finally, he seemed to realize that he was simply standing there dumbfounded and turned to leave. He went back to where Trunks had parked his mom's car and sat there on the hood. It was the first time since he was a child that he had cried. It was at that exact moment that he realized that his attachment to Trunks was not normal friendship, even lifelong friends. He was so jealous of the girl in his arms that he could not see straight, could not think rationally. Plain and simple, he had fallen in love with his best friend. As the memories flooded back he could feel the familiar stinging of hot tears in his eyes.

He guessed it was useless to think that he could put Trunks out of his mind, so easily. He contemplated what Trunks's reaction would be if he told him any of this, or all of it, would he be repulsed? flattered? He tried to tell himself that it was pointless to even consider it. Trunks like girls, lots of girls. He seemed to have a new one chasing after him at all times, there was absolutely no way that he would ever return Goten's feelings. Despite knowing all of this, Goten also could not deny that if he kept this up he was going to explode and confess without intending to confess. Maybe, there was something he could do to alleviate all of this pent up tension.

…

The next morning he was waiting for Trunks by his locker. He was a nervous wreck but he knew it was too late to back out now. He had gotten up early that morning and rummaged through everything he owned. He had decided that he wanted Trunks to come to school and see him standing there, looking hot. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt but it was form fitting and complimented the faded blue jeans he had picked out to wear. He had even persuaded his mother to cut his hair and he could only hope for a favorable reaction. He sighed and leaned back against the wall as he began to hear the voices of other students coming down the hallway. He was so lost in thoughts that he did not even noticed Trunks approaching him until he was only a few feet away.

"Hey Goten," he had called out. His voice sounded a little strange but he seemed to be in his usual good mood. Goten perked up quickly and moved away from the wall. He started to raise his hand and wave back, but he stopped himself. The object of this little exercise was to seem cool and sexy, not over eager and desperate. He simply smiled softly and waited for Trunks to reach him. As he waited, he took in what Trunks was wearing that day. He had on a black tank top and denim jacket over a pair of black pants. It was a look he had started after seeing pictures of a future version of himself in some of his mom's photo albums.

Goten tried for nonchalance as he asked, "What's up?" but his voice came out husky.

Trunks did not seem to even notice and simply replied, "Nothing, just wanted to know if you were free today after school?"

"You have something in mind?" Goten asked, still not able to control the breathy quality that had come to his voice.

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe we should do a little training; I feel pretty rusty."

"Damn," Goten thought to himself. "Going out into the middle of nowhere and getting all worked up in a physical fight with the object of my pubescent desires. Oh, this was _not_ a good idea." He hesitated for a moment and wondered what excuse he could give to get out of this one. Trunks had stopped walking and stood there waiting for his response.

Goten was saved from answering when another classmate named Ryoki approached them. "Hey, Goten can I speak to you for a second."

He knew what Ryoki wanted to speak with him about, because he had been asking since the beginning of high school. Ryoki was the captain of the soccer team and after seeing Goten playing soccer in P.E. had been after him to join the team. Normally, he would quickly make some excuse to avoid him, but for the moment Trunks was the bigger threat. "Yeah, sure," he replied. Then without saying anything to Trunks, followed Ryoki down the hallway. He had been too scared to turn around and look back, but if he had he would have seen the look of complete shock on Trunks's face.

…

Ryoki led Goten to the student council office and motioned for him to have a seat. "I must admit, I am surprised that you came here with me," he began. "You have avoided me pretty successfully for two years now."

"Well, maybe I am giving you one last chance to plead your case, not that it is going to work," he snapped back. He was surprised himself at the bitterness that came into his voice.

Ryoki seemed a little caught off guard by it as well and his tone softened as he continued, "I guess it just seems a little odd to me that you are not involved in any school sports, clubs, or activities; even though I can tell that you are athletic. I mean your friend that Briefs guy, I guess he has girls to keep him occupied , but what do you do with your free time?"

He did not seem to be trying to insult him, but Goten barely held back his urge to punch this guy in the face. Who did he think he was casting judgments on him and on Trunks.

"What business is it of yours?" he demanded.

"I apologize," he insisted. "I do not want you to get defensive. I just meant that maybe it might be good for you to have something else to focus on. Besides, extracurricular activities look good on college applications."

Goten flashed him a sarcastic smile and asked, "So, what if I told you I decided to join the art club then?"

Ryoki was not mad, he simply laughed and said, "Well, then I want your first original."

Goten could not help but smile and laugh at the whole situation. Ryoki seemed to be genuinely concerned. He had always considered whether he should work to put some distance between himself and Trunks, maybe this was a way he could do it. If he had practices and games, he would not be available for Trunks at his beck and call. He looked up at Ryoki and asked, "So, when is practice?"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Just wanted to point out, in case anyone is curious, all the chapter titles for this work are going to be lines from Fall Out Boy songs. Hope everyone will review and leave feedback, its been nearly four years since I wrote a Trunks & Goten story and I am excited to get the response.


	2. 2nd Period: I Wanna Scream I Love

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own DragonBall Z or Any Of Its Characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

2nd Period: I Wanna Scream "I Love You" from The Top of My Lungs, but I'm Afraid Someone Else Will Hear Me.

When Goten had returned to the class room from his meeting with Ryoki, he wondered if Trunks was curious about the meeting. He had hoped that when he would look over, he would catch Trunks looking back at him, but it never happened. Every time that he glanced over, Trunk was looking out the window or seemingly absorbed in his book. He sighed and felt the weight of his disappointment on his shoulders. What had he expected….really? It had been stupid of him to think that if he showed up at school in some tighter clothing that anyone, much less Trunks, was going to take any special notice. He found himself trying to let it go but as all of these thoughts and doubts ran through his mind, he found himself chewing his lip in frustration.

At that moment, the usually ambivalent Trunks was watching Goten intently. He had noticed that Goten kept looking over at him, and every time he had managed to look away in time. He would catch the slight flash of movement as he was preparing to turn and look back, and he would look away. He was not sure why Goten had kept looking over, or why he now seemed so upset. He noticed that Goten was chewing at his lip, appearing frustrated. He had been acting very strangely today. For example, he had shown up to school today in those tight clothes with his hair cut. Was he trying to impress some girl? Was there someone Goten was after? The thought shocked him, but why was he so surprised? He and Goten were average high school boys, he himself had been on hundreds of dates. So, why did it shock him to think that Goten might be interested in someone?

He shook his head and he had gotten off his original focus. This could not just be about some girl, Goten had taken off with that damn Ryoki, after all. It did not make any sense, he had been avoiding him since freshman year. Why in the world would he agree to talk to Ryoki, he had to have known it would just be about joining the soccer team. Maybe, the girl Goten was interested in liked soccer players. Damn, it all came back to a girl. He wondered what this girl was like, that Goten was so hung up on. He looked over again, taking in Goten's new look.

Just yesterday, Goten had long spiky hair, had worn a baggy t-shirt over jeans and sneakers. Now, he saw him with his short hair cut, styled and spiked upward. His shirt was tight and showed off the outlines of his well muscled body. He had almost not recognized him this morning when he had seen him standing beside his locker. He had noticed a bit of a hitch in his voice as he had greeted him, one that thankfully had gone unnoticed by Goten. He peeked over at him now and saw that he was scribbling away in his notebook and chewing at his lip.

He could not have explained it to anyone, especially himself, but at that moment he found his focus intently fixed on Goten's mouth. Goten's perfect white teeth, chewing anxiously at his lip. Every few seconds he paused, and his tongue slipped through his lips and moved smoothly over where his teeth had been grinding. He caught the movement in Goten's face and managed to look away just in time. He could feel color flooding in to his face. He gasped as he felt the heat in his face and in his body. Inadvertently, his body had been reacting to the image of those lips, tongue, and teeth in ways it should not have been reacting. Damn, what the hell was wrong with him? He looked back over at Goten and this time their eyes met. He turned his head back quickly and out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Goten looked upset.

…

By the time, lunchtime had rolled around, Trunks was anxious to speak with Goten. Though everyone was aware of Trunks given his reputation with girls and his family's status, he had decided from the first day of high school that he would only sit at a table with Goten. When people came up to the pair to chat, they had never been invited to sit down. When they took their seats, he had expected Goten to be his usual cheerful self, but he was strangely quiet. He looked a million miles away, he wondered what he could be thinking about. "Hey Goten," he called out, waving his hand in front of his face.

He snapped out of it with a start and then had a goofy smile on his face.

"Sorry was I zoning out? he asked.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile of his own. "Since, you did not answer me this morning, I was wondering if you wanted to come over after school today to do a little training?" It had seemed to be a light topic of conversation to him, but he saw a look of panic cross Goten's face.

"I can't," he replied. "Ryoki convinced me to join the soccer team, and there is practice today."

He was not sure exactly what came over him at that moment, but he was angry. "Why in the world would you participate in something as stupid as school sports?" The look on Goten's face made him want to take back to words but he did not, he could not stop himself. "You already know you are faster and stronger than all these pathetic weaklings, what in the world could you get out of it?"

In that second, Goten got defensive. "Wow, you really sound like your dad," he commented snidely. From the look on his face after he said it, it looked like Goten had wanted to take back his comment too. Instead the silence hung heavy between them and would have remained if not for the approach of a girl. Trunks had noticed her walking towards their table. Her name was Miki and to be honest she was sort of the female version of Trunks. She was a girl who chewed up high school boys hearts and spit them out. Despite her status as the hottest girl in school, Trunks had never taken any special interest in her. She flipped her long hair and walked right up to their table and took the seat next to Trunks.

At this moment, he would usually have made some rude comment that would get rid of whoever had just taken a seat at their table, but he needed a distraction. "Why Miki, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?" he asked with a flirtatious smile.

"Well, I just happened to hear that you are single, and I thought maybe you and I should get together some time," she responded with a perfect smile, and subtle batting of her thick eyelashes. He was not surprised by her question, if anything it seemed an inevitability that someday they would date.

"Well, I happen to be free this evening, do you have any plans?" he asked. As Miki was answering, his attention was drawn to Goten. He had quickly stood and walked towards the cafeteria doors, leaving his tray untouched on the table.

Goten had managed to make it to the men's room before he felt the tears in his eyes. He quickly hurried into the stall and sat there with his head in his hands. From the moment Miki had taken a seat at their table he had felt invisible He had expected for Trunks to get rid of her, but instead he had responded to her, even asked her out. He knew it was silly to expect that Trunks would choose him over a girl, guys did not do stuff like that. This pain was necessary, he needed to get some distance from Trunks, so he would not keep getting hurt like this. He wiped at his eyes and left the stall to check his appearance in the mirror. He did not walk back out in to the hallway until he was confident that no one could tell he had been crying. He considered going back in to the cafeteria since there was nearly twenty minutes left in lunch period, but he did not want to watch Trunks and Miki flirting anymore.

As he made his way back to the classroom, he stopped and peeked into the gymnasium. It was a freshman P.E. class and they were kicking soccer balls into a net. He saw Ryoki standing by one of the freshman, it looked like he was giving him directions. The kid looked small and confused standing next to him. He could not keep himself from smiling and he quietly walked into the gym to watch. After a few minutes, he noticed that Ryoki was looking back at him with a beaming smile on his face. He could feel himself blushing, had he been staring? He heard the bell ring and rushed out towards his classroom.

When he walked in late, he hung his head as the teacher lectured him. When he took his seat he sighed and picked up his book. He wanted to look over at Trunks, but he resisted the urge. For all he knew, he was lost in fantasies about him and Miki and everything they would be doing together after school. He suddenly felt a piece of paper hit him in the side of his head and then land on his desk. It was a note, he looked over at Trunks and he was looking right back at him. He opened the folded paper and read,

_Hey Goten,_

_Is there something up with you? You have been acting weird. Why did you take off at lunch? Are you jealous or something? I mean if you want a girl I'm sure I could hook you up with someone._

Goten was furious, he crumpled up the note and tossed it into the nearby wastebasket. He looked over at Trunks and met his eyes letting the anger that he felt show. If Trunks was so blind that he thought this was about jealousy, then they definitely needed some distance from each other. Not only was he now even more sure that joining the soccer team had been a good idea, he was thinking of ways he could put more distance between them. Well, Trunks had made it obvious that their lunch table was no longer an exclusive thing, maybe he should find somewhere else to sit. He did not speak to Trunks, or pass him any notes for the rest of the day. He tried not to think about it.

At the end of the day after he had gathered his books, he had found himself heading down the hallway towards Trunks's locker. He stopped suddenly and turned around towards the practice field. What would be the point of seeing Trunks before he left, he had no idea what to say to him. He might as well just go to soccer practice and then he could go home alone and do his homework. When he arrived on the field, Ryoki seemed to be waiting for him. "I guessed you would not have proper practice clothes with you, since you just joined this morning," he commented with a smile. In his hand he held out what looked like a extra set of gym clothes.

"Do you just have an extra set of gym clothes lying around?" Goten asked.

"I have been trying to convince you to join the team for three years," he replied. "I figured eventually, they would be used by somebody."

Goten did not really know what to say. He knew better than anyone that Ryoki had been pursuing him relentlessly for the past few years about joining the team. So, why did the way he said that make him feel kind of special; like he was the only one that Ryoki had been pursuing? "That couldn't be the case," he thought. "Could it?" He quickly took the offered clothes and went in to the locker room to change.

During practice, Goten was starting to think that joining the soccer team might not have been the best idea. From the moment he had stepped on to the field he had dealt with some ribbing and snide comments from people who had been on the team since freshman year. He also had to deal with controlling his power and fighting his urge to whiz across the field and maneuver the ball away from every player. The better he played, the more relaxed and friendly the other players seemed to be. He barely noticed how it had almost become as if he were playing against himself on the field until he felt someone's gaze on him and looked up to see Ryoki watching him with surprise on his face. He looked quickly at the goal he had been ready to kick the ball towards and aimed his kick too far to the left.

When he missed that goal the other players seemed to comfort him. Telling him that everyone makes mistakes and that they were so glad he was part of the team. He tried shrug all of it off, but every time he looked up, Ryoki seemed to be staring at him. After practice he had taken his time changing. One by one all of the other players left and only he and Ryoki remained. "So, I guess you were right about me having a talent for soccer," Goten started nervously. "Except for that last goal."

"I think you could have easily made that goal," Ryoki responded coolly. "In fact, I think if I had not been watching you, you could have kicked that ball on to a bullseye in the dead center of the goal zone."

"What are you talking about?" He continued, trying to laugh off his serious comments. "Its just beginners luck," he insisted.

Ryoki approached him until they were only inches apart. "You do not have to be ashamed of being talented," he admonished. "Is that how it is with you and Trunks, does he always expect you to be second to him?"

His nervous laughter and attempts to joke his way out of the situation, disappeared in a flash. His defenses were up, "What the hell are you saying?" he demanded. His anger was seething and he could feel his energy spiking. As soon as he noticed this, he tried to calm himself.

Ryoki seemed genuinely apologetic, but still insistent as he continued, "I'm sorry, you just seem like you follow that Trunks guy like his shadow, I figured it was something he made you do."

"You think I'm so pathetic, I would just submit to him and follow him around like that?" he confronted and grabbed his shirt. Every impulse in his brain made him want to punch Ryoki, but he just stood there with a handful of his shirt in his hands.

"Not pathetic…more like lovesick," he asserted.

Goten's hands instantly released their grip on Ryoki's shirt. He knew that his eyes were probably wide open with shock and his mouth hung open. He was instantly in a panic, if it were that obvious to a complete stranger that he was in love with Trunks, did Trunks know the truth already? He could feel the adrenaline and panic hit him with full force and his frozen limbs instantly were moving, as he ran out of the locker room and as soon as he was out of sight, took to the skies.

…

Trunks was in his car, waiting by the school building. After school, he had stood by his locker hoping Goten would come to him, but after about twenty minutes he was left standing in an empty hallway. He guessed Goten was still mad at him over the damn note. He had put in that bit about being jealous as a joke, but it looked like Goten thought he was serious. He sighed and made his way towards the parking lot and when he reached his car, Miki was waiting. "So, where are we off to?" she asked sweetly. Damn, he had completely forgotten about making plans with her. He smiled quickly and suggested they go out for a cup of coffee.

At the coffee shop, Miki had thankfully done all of the talking and seemed to neither require nor desire much input from him. He found himself barely listening to her as he wondered what Goten was doing. What was with him? He had never thought about Goten while he was out on a date. Besides, he was just at a boring soccer practice, controlling his power, and kicking around a ball with a bunch of sweaty gross guys. He would have gotten more of a work out if he had come back to Capsule Corp. for training. He remembered the previous evening how they had been horsing around on his bed, when Goten had him pinned. His concentration when he realized Miki had asked him a question.

"Um…I'm sorry," he apologized. "What did you say?"

Miki did not seem bothered by repeating herself. "I asked you if you would like to go out on Saturday?"

"Sure," he replied without thinking. Afterwards, he wondered why he had agreed. He was bored just sitting here having coffee with her, a longer date would be worse. He looked at his watch and said, "I'm sorry to cut this short but I need to get home for dinner."

"Oh no problem," she insisted. "I should probably be heading home myself."

He should have offered to drive her home, but he did not really want to. Luckily, she continued by saying, "My place is just a few blocks from here, so I guess I'll see you at school." He had nodded and watched her leave. With a sigh he downed the remaining contents of his cup and decided to head home, hopefully Goten would show up after practice.

Hours passed, and he never showed up. When it was time for dinner, Trunks had begun to feel a little depressed. He and Goten had not had a fight for as long as he could remember, it surprised him that something as trivial as a little note could infuriate Goten that much. He had thought their friendship should have been stronger than that. He picked up the phone in his room, a dozen times but he never dialed the Son's number. When his mother called him downstairs to join his family for dinner, he had not really felt hungry. As he sat there at the table, he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he was simply pushing his food around on his plate more than he was actually eating.

"May I be excused?" he asked after about ten minutes. His parents had been feeding Bra and looked up at his question.

"Of course," Bulma replied.

And with that he walked back upstairs to his room. He wondered if Goten would be speaking to him tomorrow. Maybe, he should just wait for him by his locker and apologize. Goten had never been one to hold a grudge, surely if he just said he was sorry this whole thing would blow over.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

For anyone who is interested, I have been considering some other Trunks & Goten rewrites (3 stories I deleted from FFN a long time ago and have not been able to locate anywhere on the net) Would love to get some feedback on the idea.


	3. 3rd Period: I Don't Just Want To Be A

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or any of its characters.

"Crush"

By: Nova Starlight

3rd Period: I Don't Just Want To Be A Footnote In Someone Else's Happiness

Goten could not shake the feeling of unease he had as he opened his locker and gathered his books for his first classes. Ever since the note incident with Trunks the day before he had no idea how to approach him or what to say, and this time running in to Ryoki would be no help at all. He sighed and allowed his head to lightly crash into the metal of his locker door. What had happened between him and Ryoki? He had joined the soccer team to get some distance from Trunks but there was something about Ryoki that made him nervous. For someone who had little to no interaction with Goten over the last three years, he had seemed to know everything he wished to keep secret. Within an hour of watching him play on the field he was assured that Goten had some hidden power, and after speaking to him for only a few moments he seemed to know Goten's feelings for Trunks. What was he going to do? If Ryoki already had all of this figured out there was no way he could attend another soccer practice.

The alternative, making up with Trunks, did not exactly sit well with him at that moment either. That little note that he had passed him the afternoon had infuriated him. To think that Trunks thought it was over some stupid girl that he was tied up in knots. He wanted to scream at him and tell him the truth, but he knew that the moment he did, he would lose his best friend completely. He guessed had a point with the whole jealousy thing, he was jealous, just not the way Trunks believed. He could not remember the last time, he had actually gotten angry with Trunks. Was this because he was getting the distance he needed? Or was he just unreasonable? He would kill for someone to talk to about it, but the only friend he had that he would trust with something like this was Trunks.

He looked up quickly when he felt Trunks's chi, but was surprised to see Trunks and Ryoki walking towards him. If one had not known better they may have sworn that the pair had been walking together like friends, but Goten could see that though they walked side by side, it was like two strangers who just happened to have the same target in mind; Goten. His mind was swimming as he tried to quickly decide what he should do. He did not really feel prepared to talk to either of them, but now he had to choose the lesser of two evils. As he stood there trying to decide, he watched them approaching and felt his dread increase. It flashed in his brain in an instant that he needed to deal with Ryoki, convince him that there was nothing between himself and Trunks. If he did not manage to convince Ryoki, he hated to think of the possible consequences. Without really knowing Ryoki, one could only guess at his motivations. If he knew that Goten was in love with Trunks he could tell the entire school, including Trunks himself. He could deal with Trunks later, when they were alone. Besides, he needed some time to think. So when both of them stopped walking just a few feet from him, he tried to smile and act natural.

"Hey Chibi, I-"

"Goten, I-" Trunks and Ryoki had both started to talk at once, then looked at each other as if they had just realized they had approached Goten together.

After staring each other down for a moment, Trunks looked back at Goten and repeated, "Chibi, can we talk?"

Goten found that could not meet his eyes, he just found his gaze directed at Ryoki. He panicked and before he could stop the words from coming he said, "Oh Sorry Trunks. I promised Ryoki I would work with him this morning on some stuff for the team." He hoped that his lie was credible. His eyes remained fixed on Ryoki's, silently begging for him to back him up. What was he thinking, asking Ryoki to bail him out? He could simply deny it all and walk away, leaving Goten there to deal with Trunks alone.

Trunks seemed to look to Ryoki for confirmation as well. Finally, after a torturous moment of silence, he responded. "Oh yeah, Goten and I were going to work on some plays for practice this afternoon." Trunks looked angry, but did not respond. He walked away towards their classroom without sparing one glance back in their direction. Once he was out of sight Ryoki asked, "So, why did you want to ditch Cassanova?"

Goten could feel his spine stiffen at the question. "And what did you want?" he demanded, hoping to deflect the attention.

Ryoki actually seemed a little hurt by Goten's angry response. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry…" he trailed off. "There is just something about that guy that gets my blood boiling, and that is not your fault." He moved closer to Goten to the point where he was leaning against the wall beside Goten's locker and looking straight into his eyes. "I also wanted to apologize to your for yesterday," he continued. "As I said, there is something about that guy that aggravates me, but I should not have confronted you like that about him." When Goten remained silent, he reached out his hand and placed it on his arm. "Listen, I know you are probably still mad at me for what I said, but please come to practice today."

He should have been indignant, gone through his vehement denials of what Ryoki was implying but he just looked down at the floor. "What's the point?" he dejected.

"I think it would be good for you," Ryoki insisted. After a moment he continued, "I promise that I will stay away from you, if that makes you feel better." If he was expecting a rebuttal from Goten there would not be one forthcoming. Ryoki had peeled back the surface and discovered everything that he tried to hide. The result left him feeling vulnerable and scared. If Ryoki could see through him so easily in one day's time, what would he discover given enough time? And to what end did he want to know all of this anyway? Goten watched as he sighed and gave a sad smile. "I was hoping that it would not come to that." Ryoki's gaze seemed to scan the hallway and Goten found himself following suit. The bell rang and as all of the other students made their way to their classrooms they were left alone in the hallway.

Goten could not explain why he was still standing there. He sensed that there was something more that Ryoki wanted to say, but it should not matter. The silence lingered between them until they were completely alone. Then Ryoki asked, "You feel nervous around me because I guessed your secret right?" Goten could feel a lump forming in his throat, choking off his denials. All he could muster was a nod in response to his question. He laughed lightly to himself and moved to stand in front of Goten. "Would you feel better if I told you a secret? Would that make us even?"

He could not deny that his curiosity was piqued. What could Ryoki reveal that was anywhere near as juicy as what he had discovered. He leaned his body away from Ryoki and began to turn and walk to class. He did not have time to play these games. In a flash, Ryoki had grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back. He could have easily resisted, just kept walking, but he stopped. Goten turned back and saw that for the first time since he met him, he genuinely looked upset. "I'm serious," he continued, with an almost pleading tone. "Tell me what I need to do."

He faced Ryoki once again, he could not help being sucked in by that look on his face. "Okay, what's your secret?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm in love with you," Ryoki revealed. The words were spoken with a soft tone of voice, and with seemingly no more difficulty than he would have in telling a complete stranger that the sky is blue. Unlike Ryoki, who seemed unaffected by his own confession, Goten was shocked. His eyes remained fixed on Ryoki's and the silence continued to hang heavy between them. Goten would have given anything for a distraction at this moment, something to pull him from the awkward exchange. As his brain scrambled for words, forming sentences and rejecting them before he uttered a sound, he wondered what Ryoki must be thinking.

When his ability to speak finally returned to him, he exclaimed, "You Love Me? You don't even know me!"

"I know you better than you think," Ryoki insisted. "I have been watching you from afar for nearly three years now." Goten did not understand what he was saying. This did not make any sense to him. At the continued look of confusion, Ryoki continued, "It is true that the first time I saw you, it was our freshman year, and you were playing soccer in gym class. It is also true that I thought you were talented and wanted you to join the team, but I also thought you were beautiful." Ryoki was blushing and he looked down at the floor in front of him. "You probably don't remember when I approached you later and asked you to join the soccer team. I was actually going to ask you out, but Trunks came over and I might as well have been invisible."

Goten stepped closer to Ryoki and reached out his hand. In this moment, seeing him so open and helpless, he felt a kinship with him. When his hand touched Ryoki's face, he felt him shiver and he raised his head to look into Goten's eyes. "I'm sorry," Goten apologized. He knew better than anyone that his apology meant little, he was still rejecting him. Ryoki gave a crooked smile and pushed Goten's hand away.

"So, I guess I was right," he mused aloud. "Casanova is the one you really want."

Goten found himself blushing at the comment. "It's nothing personal," he contended. "Trunks and I have been friends since we were babies, and I think I have always loved him." It felt strange to say the words out loud to anyone. These were thoughts that had been running through his head for years, but he had never dared to express them aloud, not even when he was alone. "I'm still very flattered, that you are interested in me."

"Well, if that's all I can get, I guess I'll take it," Ryoki interjected. He turned and began to walk away. After a few steps, he turned back and requested, "I hope that you will still come to practice. The other guys seemed to like you a lot and I meant what I said. I'll stay away if you want." Then he kept walking and Goten was left standing there alone in the hallway, feeling even more confused.

…

In the classroom, Trunks was seething and trying to hide it. He sat at his desk with his hands clenched into fists in his lap and staring at the door. Where the hell was Goten? Class had started nearly twenty minutes ago and he had not shown up. What could he be discussing with that damn Ryoki guy anyway? As the image of that Ryoki's face popped into his head, he could feel his anger increasing. He took a deep breath and tried to get himself under control. He could not understand what was happening recently. Goten had always avoided Ryoki and his attempts to get him to join the soccer team until yesterday. Now, he could not train because he had practice, and when he had tried to speak to him this morning, he needed to speak with Ryoki. Goten had never needed other friends before, why did he need them now?

He sighed and gave up looking at the door, it was obvious that Goten was not coming to class. His eyes traveled around the classroom and he noticed that Miki was looking at him and waving. He gave a little wave back but his heart was not in it. He put his head down on the desk and gave up even pretending to listen to whatever it was the teacher had been prattling on about. He could not stop thinking about Goten, wondering where he was. Every time he thought about him, especially if he thought about him and Ryoki, he could feel his temperature rising. This was ludicrous so Goten had made a new friend, it was nothing to lose his cool over. But what had happened to the days when all they had needed was each other's companionship?

After class, he went to his locker and switches out his books. He keeps his eyes open, waiting for Goten, but instead sees Miki. "Hey Trunks," she calls out as she comes running over. Damn, he really wanted to see Goten. He is politely listening to her talk but his eyes are still searching for any sign of Goten in the hallway. Finally, she says "I guess we should be getting back to class," Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Trunks' cheek. As she walked away, Trunks found himself watching. Miki was definitely attractive and she was practically throwing herself at him. While his eyes were on Miki he did not see that Goten had turned the corner and was now watching him.

When Trunks made it to the next class, he was surprised to see Goten already in his seat. He smiled at him but received no response. He took out a piece of paper and wrote a few lines and folded it up. He shot it across the room and was surprised when Goten did not even open it. In fact, he sat there still as a statue, facing the front of the classroom. Wow, Goten was still mad at him. He sighed and took out another piece of paper and began to write. Once again, he launched his little folded note across the room, landing on Goten's desk. Yet again, it remained unopened. He could feel his frustration increasing. He did not give up, throughout the rest of the class he wrote little notes and pitched them across the room. Each and every one of them remained on Goten's desk untouched. When the bell rang, Trunks was surprised and watched in disbelief as Goten scooped up all of the notes on his desk and dumped them in the trash as he walked out the door. What the Hell was going on here?

Trunks gave up, he did not write any more notes. Unfortunately, he could not get his eyes to give up watching Goten throughout the entire class. If the teacher had bothered to look in his direction she would have easily seen that he was not paying any attention to her or to his class work. He wondered if Goten could feel his gaze or if he even cared. He was once againt a stoic figure, still and quiet, in the class room. If Trunks could have torn his own gaze away, he would have seen that Miki was also preoccupied with staring at him.

When lunch time came around, Trunks took a seat at his usual table and looked for Goten. He hoped that he would at least come sit with him and he could apologize, but he never showed up. In the end, he was left sitting alone. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Is this what it felt like to be alone? Throughout his life he could never really recall a time that he felt lonely. For the most part he would have characterized himself as a bit of a loner but that did not refer to Goten. As far back as he could remember, Goten had always been a part of his life. Even when he would tell his parents he wanted to be alone that was not really the truth; he wanted Goten. They had always been close, he had assumed it would remain that way for the rest of their lives. Was he just being naïve?

During the lunch period, Goten sat on the bleachers in the gym with his stomach growling. He should have just gone into the cafeteria, sitting here was not getting him anywhere. He was just hungry and lonely. He sighed and put his head into his hands. This whole situation had blown up in his face faster than he had ever thought possible. In the span of twenty four hours his plan to transition and get a little distance from Trunks had resulted in the two of them having a fight and a love confession from the captain of the soccer team. He had fully intended to make up with Trunks but when he had seen him staring at the Miki girl, the motivation to apologize left him. He heard footsteps and his head snapped up. Ryoki was standing at the bottom of the bleachers and looking up at him with a smile on his face. "Are you skipping lunch?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer he bounded up the steps with a large bag in his hands. "I brought my own lunch, we can share if you want." Goten smiled and held out his hand.

"You brought a lot of food," Goten commented.

"Well, I have a high metabolism," Ryoki stated. "I assume you do too."

"What makes you say that?" Goten asked.

"I have seen the way you eat at lunch time," Ryoki replied with a chuckle.

Goten could feel himself blushing again. It seems that Ryoki was not kidding when he said he had been watching him for the past three years. He knew that being a half saiyan his appetite was not normal and he had always tried to hide it at school. Ryoki handed him a sandwich and he made no attempts to hide how hungry he was as he took large bites. They sat there on the bleachers, eating lunch in silence and Goten was surprised at how comfortable he felt. He should feel awkward, knowing that Ryoki had feelings for him, but instead, he could feel himself relaxing in a way that he could normally only do when he was with Trunks. What did all of this mean? He did not want to give up Trunks, but was he fighting a losing battle? He had always thought about his own happiness at being able to confess, but how would Trunks respond to his feelings. Would Trunks simply move on, or would it bother him that Goten loved him? Their friendship would never be the same once the truth was revealed. He found himself debating inside what he should do.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: Thanks to all who review, I love getting the positive feedback.


	4. 4th Period: I'm Hopelessly Hopeful

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or any of its characters.

"Crush"

By: Nova Starlight

4th Period: I'm Hopelessly Hopeful, That You're Just Hopeless Enough

When the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period, Goten had been very tempted to skip the rest of his classes for the day, but he resisted the temptation. Skipping his classes was not going to solve his problems, only compound them. He would have to deal with Trunks soon enough and its not like there would be much opportunity for talking anyway. Ryoki had smiled as they had parted and Goten had to admit that he had felt himself blushing in response. What was happening to him? He was in love with Trunks, so why did Ryoki make him feel this way. Maybe it was just the excitement of knowing that someone noticed him. He had to admit that he had always felt invisible next to Trunks; who was so intelligent, handsome, and charming, that he drew all the eyes in the room. Though he had felt this way, he had never really begrudged him all that attention until now. What did it all mean?

In the classroom, Trunks was sitting at the desk beside his own and had a indescribable look on his face. Trunks's assigned seat in their class was one row over from where he was currently sitting, but it seemed the teacher was not paying any special notice that he had switched seats. Damn, it looked like there really would be no escaping this. He took a seat with a sigh and was promptly passed a note. He opened it and read,

_Where were you at lunch?_

There was no reason not to tell him the truth, so he took his pen and scribbled his reply.

_I had lunch in the gym with Ryoki._

Trunks had seemed to relax as Goten had been writing his response, but as he opened the note and read, his expression returned to one that Goten had never really seen before. If he had not known better, he would have said that Trunks seemed angry that he had eaten lunch with Ryoki.

He wrote his response and passed it back

_Why? I waited at our table for you. I sat there by myself._

Goten was surprised. Why had Trunks sat there alone, Goten was sure that he would have invited Miki to sit there like he had the day before. Now that he thought about Trunks sitting there alone, he began to feel guilty about running off. Maybe this getting distance was a bad idea. Was it possible that Trunks needed him as much as he needed Trunks? He was not sure what to say, sitting there with the pen held above the paper.

_I'm sorry._

When Trunks took back the note, the hard lines of his face seemed to soften and the anger faded from his expression. Goten watched him write and then refold the paper and pass it back.

_It's ok, I just don't understand what's going on with you. Come over after school, we can hang out like old times._

Goten was not sure what to say. His gut reaction was to accept. To spend the evening with Trunks, laughing, joking, and being best friends again. His plan to put some distance between them was already blowing up in his face. Should he just abandon ship and go back to the way things were? An image of Ryoki's face flashed in his mind and he realized that would be impossible for him. He felt guilty for using Ryoki and the soccer team as a way of separating himself from Trunks. He knew that things would still be awkward due to Ryoki's feelings, but he would not just cut and run from this. He was already running away from Trunks. He sighed and picked up his pen.

_I told Ryoki that I would go to soccer practice, but you could come watch me. Then afterwards, I could spend the night and we could hang out. _

He looked back at the couple of sentences he had written and considered scribbling through the part about staying the night. He had only spent the night with Trunks once since he had realized his feelings. It had been tense and awkward and he had practically run out the door the following morning. Now, he felt that he needed to extend the offer. He did not really understand Trunks's reaction to Ryoki, but at the moment he wanted both of them to be a part of his life. The issue would be working out how that could even be possible. He observed Trunks's reaction as he read the note and was happy to see that he did not seem upset at the idea.

_Sure, want to get some pizzas afterwards?_

That was all Trunks had to say? He looked over at Trunks and smiled. Maybe this was going to be easier than he thought.

…

When Goten walked out on to the field later, he was surprised to see how the members of the team all enthusiastically waved at him and called his name. At the sound of his name, he saw Ryoki's face snap up from the clipboard he had been looking over and his face lit up with a smile. He had to admit, Ryoki was attractive. Obviously, he found Trunks to be much more attractive, but Ryoki's looks had never stood out to him before. Now, he found himself studying the short dark hair that framed his chiseled face. His piercing green eyes seemed to become aware of his observation and Goten quickly looked away. He had a strange feeling of being watched, and spared a quick glance at the small set of bleachers beside the field. Trunks's gaze met his own and he waved.

Practice went smoothly for a while, he was able to control his power and pass the ball off to his teammates occasionally. Goten never would have guessed that there were two pairs of eyes watching him closely throughout practice. Whenever he made a goal, he could hear Trunks cheering him on. The happiness that filled him, left him feeling lighter than air. He knew how Trunks felt about sports and other competition with normal people, but despite it all, here he was encouraging him from the stands. He kicked the ball into the net effortlessly, and looked back to Trunks. Instead of cheering for him, he was wrapped up in his conversation with Miki. Goten saw red for a moment and as the ball was kicked back to him, he unleashed some of his anger and sent the ball flying. The teammates and everyone watching stopped and seemed to be stunned and speechless. "Guess, I don't know my own strength," he laughed to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'll get it."

He did not dare to look back at Trunks again, for fear of what his response would be. Suddenly, he sensed someone walking behind him and when he turned he was surprised that Ryoki was the one following him. "I don't think it requires two people to get a soccer ball," he snapped back.

Ryoki seemed a little hurt by Goten's response but was quick to defend himself, "Thought it might take two people to find the damn thing, with the force you kicked it." Goten did not say anything and turned away from him. He kept walking towards where he had seen the ball land and tried his best to ignore Ryoki. "You that jealous of Briefs talking to girls?" Ryoki asked finally.

Goten sucked in a deep breath and exhaled trying to calm himself. He had to say that when it came to Ryoki, he never seemed to know what to expect. After his little calm and collected love confession that morning, he had not expected him to be so confrontational now. His frustration was apparent as he asked, "What is with your attitude?"

"What? You think you are the only one who gets jealous when they see the object of their affection looking at someone else?" he demanded. Goten could feel himself blushing and turned away hoping Ryoki would not see. At that moment, he spied the soccer ball and went running over to grab it. He did not respond to Ryoki's question and instead rushed back to the field; leaving Ryoki behind.

It would have been impossible for anyone else in the stands to have seen the exchange between Ryoki and Goten, but Trunks was able to see everything. He could not make out what they had been saying, but he could see how angry and frustrated Goten and Ryoki both seemed to be as they spoke. What had happened? He had been briefly speaking with Miki, who it seemed had followed him out to the field, and when he looked up Goten had kicked the ball off into the distance. He had simply shook his head at the sight. If he was not careful, Goten was going to be discovered.

He watched as Goten came back on to the field and practice seemed to resume without a hitch. The only thing missing was Ryoki, who was slowly walking back. Trunks had to admit, that he did not really understand the sad, lonely, look that was now plastered all over his face. What had Goten said to him? What had he said to Goten? Trunks was still very curious about Goten's motivations for joining the soccer team, and intended to get the truth from him tonight. He was pulled from his thoughts as he realized that Miki had taken a seat next to him and was talking about something or other. For the most part when he had been talking to a girl, he was usually very attentive. But with Miki, he found himself pretending to pay attention and losing interest quickly.

He was relieved when the practice finally ended and found himself quickly telling Miki goodbye as he bounded down the bleachers to the field. Though he had rushed off, he found himself standing outside of the locker room and waiting nearly fifteen minutes for Goten to come back out. As the players exited, he realized that Goten was the last to leave with Ryoki right on his heels.

"Hey Goten!" he called out. "You ready to go?" Goten gave him a beaming smile, and Trunks felt a little jolt run through him. His brain was questioning his response, but his body was too busy reacting. He grabbed Goten's hand and began pulling him towards his car. "Come on, lets get back to my house and order pizza." Goten was still all smiles as he pulled him along. He was not sure what motivated him, but as Goten got into the passenger seat of his car, he glanced back at Ryoki. His eyes seemed to burn with a fire and his mouth was set in a firm frown. What was his problem? Suddenly, his face lit up with a smile and Trunks looked to Goten to see that he was waving at him. He was still so confused, he did not understand this at all.

Goten had seen the way that Ryoki watched the two of them, with anger in his eyes. He was not sure who Ryoki was more upset with him or Trunks. When he had waved, he had been happy to see his face becoming lit up with a smile. He knew his own smile had to be beaming. There might be some who would have considered him pathetic, but he enjoyed every moment he had alone with Trunks. As they drove along, he allowed his head to fall back against the seat and his eyes drifted close. "Don't fall asleep on me," Trunks admonished him. "I know you are not exhausted from practice."

"Ha Ha," he retorted. "I'm just relaxing during the car ride."

As Goten rested, Trunks found that he had trouble concentrating on driving. Just as the day before, when he had found himself staring at Goten's lips in class, his eyes were fixed on him. At every red light, stop sign, and every time they were stopped in traffic, his gaze returned to Goten's relaxed face. He was struck by just how good looking Goten really was. Though they were closed at the moment, he knew that behind those closed lids, were dark, mysterious, eyes. His lips looked soft and were open slightly as his head laid back. Trunks was glad to finally see his house up ahead and tried to get himself under control.

…

Goten had gone up to Trunks's room alone, while he was downstairs ordering pizzas. It sounded strange, but as he looked around he was seeing the room with new eyes. Trunks had been in this room since he was a baby, but it had definitely changed in recent years. He could almost see the poster of Hercule, they had used as a dartboard when they were kids. Now in that space was a photo of some sexy model in a bikini, looking over her shoulder seductively. He blushed as he looked at it, his mother would have hit him over the head with something heavy if he had ever considered putting up a picture like that on the wall. From the plain bed sheets to the well organized books that ordained the walls, it was easy to see that Trunks room looked more like the room of an adult than his did.

He sighed and fell back onto his bed. Immediately, he regretted his decision as he caught the faint traces of Trunks scent on those sheets and longed to bury his face into them. He asked himself why he was doing this. It was obvious from the poster on the wall, and the rumors floating around their school, that Trunks had a perfectly normal teenager's libido and plenty of girls willing to accommodate him. With a inward groan, he rolled over onto his stomach and found his face buried in those soft sheets. At times like these, he considered that fate could be one hell of a bitch. Making the love of his life his best friend, his confidante, and totally out of his reach. All of a sudden, he felt more than heard Trunks enter the room.

"Okay, if you don't get out of bed, I'm going to be worried about you," Trunks called out and then jumped onto the bed next to him.

Goten sprang up and off of the bed, as quickly as he could. "I guess you're right. I should probably go ahead and grab one of the spare futons for me to sleep on tonight," he countered.

Trunks gave him a strange, questioning, look. "Why do you need a futon?" he asked. With a sweep of his arms he continued, "Look at this monstrosity my parents call a bed. There is plenty of room for the two of us."

Goten could only hope the panic he felt at that second was not showing on his face. "Are you sure?" he asked with a slightly nervous laugh. "I mean aren't we a little old to be sleeping in the same bed?"

"Says who?" Trunks challenged. "Come on Chibi, it'll be like when we were kids."

Damn, Goten could feel his heart start pounding as Trunks used his pet name for him. He knew he should be insistent and go get a futon from Bulma, but what could it really hurt? he tried to reassure himself. He sat back down on the edge of the bed, while Trunks remained lying there. His heart was still pounding out of control and he could feel himself becoming flushed. Sometimes, he wished he could take back his knowledge of his feelings for Trunks and return to blissful ignorance. Did Trunks feel like this around girls? One glance at his relaxed form and the way he was smiling so beautifully and he doubted it. Trunks was always so effortlessly charismatic with women. It was quiet between them for a few moments before Trunks spoke again. "So you going to tell me why you are suddenly interested in school sports, or am I supposed to guess?"

"What's it matter?" Goten asked in response.

Trunks did not want to argue and he could sense the anger in Goten's response. It just made less and less sense the more he thought about it. He did not get why Goten was being so defensive about it. He wanted to push him, to make him tell him the truth, but he held himself back. He hated that Goten was keeping secrets from him but there was nothing he could do. Everything was quiet once again and then he heard Goten sigh and he fell back on to the bed beside him. He could feel the warmth radiating from his body and felt a familiar little jolt run through him. It was the same feeling as when he had held his hand earlier. As he thought back on that moment, his fingers inched slowly towards him. When his fingers gently brushed against Goten's he seemed to realize just what he had been doing and pulled them back quickly.

"Trunks…" Goten began, "I want to ask you something."

He could feel a lump in his throat, his nerves were starting to feel on edge. Trunks was experienced with girls, so he knew what this feeling taking over his body was. What he did not understand, was why being close to Goten was suddenly affecting him this way. "Yeah?" he managed to get out in a low, calm, voice.

"What's it like when you are with girls?" he asked.

Trunks eyes searched out Goten's face and observed his face was crimson with embarrassment.

"What do you mean? You mean sex?" he asked incredulously.

Goten sat up quickly and looked away. "Never mind, this is too embarrassing," he snapped.

Trunks sat up and turned Goten's face towards him. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," he assured him. "We're friends right?" Goten just nodded but he still seemed unable to meet Trunks's eyes. Though in truth as he cleared his throat to continue speaking, he found his own gaze drifting down to the floor. "What do you want to know?"

"How many girls have you had sex with?" Goten asked bluntly.

"Four," He responded quickly.

"Only four?" Goten exclaimed. When Trunks looked at him in surprise, he blushed even brighter.

Trunks could not stop himself from laughing. "Man, those rumors about me at school really get out of hand, don't they? How many girls did you think I had slept with?"

"Let's just say it was more than four," he mumbled.

"Anything else you want to know?" he asked, unaware of the hint of eagerness that slipped into his voice.

"Are you planning to…with Miki?" Goten asked against his better judgment.

"Why? You like her?" Trunks questioned. "You know if you like her, I won't go near her."

"No!" Goten insisted. "I'm just curious."

"Well…" Trunks started as if he were still thinking it over. "We'll see how it goes. I am thinking about asking her out. Maybe I'll get lucky." He had smiled at him as he said this, but when he looked at Goten, he looked almost disappointed. Maybe he really did have a thing for Miki. It flashed in his brain and suddenly it all made sense. He had invited Miki to sit with them, she had been openly flirting with him, and then Goten had left the room. Then he had not shown up for lunch the next day. He had seemed surprised that Trunks had eaten lunch alone; had he expected that Miki had been there to keep him company? Damn, Goten must have the hots for her. "Hey, let's go downstairs and see if the pizzas arrived," he suggested to change the subject.

Throughout the rest of the evening, he tried to keep the topic of conversation away from girls and relationships, hoping to spare Goten's feelings. He felt a little dense looking back on it all now. Of course, Goten would be interested in Miki, she was probably one of the most beautiful girls in school. Despite that, she still just did not seem like the type of girl that Goten would go for. With that thought, he honestly could not really visualize what type of girl would interest Goten. It was an idea that he could not get out of his head, and was driving him crazy. What did Goten find attractive? It was still on his mind, when they settled down to sleep that night.

It was harder for him to fall asleep with Goten's warmth beside him in bed. He was overly sensitive to every toss and turn as Goten restlessly tried to get comfortable. He laid on his side, turned away from Goten and tried to count sheep in his head. What seemed like hours after he finally heard the gentle snoring from behind him in bed, he finally succumbed to sleep.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: Wanted to extend my continued thanks and appreciation to all the readers of this story. Please Review, the positive feedback keeps me motivated.


	5. 5th Period: Maybe He Won't Find Out

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own DBZ or any of its Characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

5th Period: Maybe He Won't Find Out What I Know, You Were The Last Good Thing About This Part of Town.

The room was lit by the moon, and Trunks suddenly felt the warmth of another's body pressed into his back. As arms wrapped around him, he could feel himself reacting. His eyes traveled downward and noticed that the arms wrapped around him were not those of a girl, but of a muscular boy. Then he heard the soft whisper by his ear, "I love you." He turned to face the owner of that gentle, husky, voice. Goten's dark eyes stared back into his own with a smile. There were no words between them, just an embrace. Their faces drawing closer and closer to each other. He felt eager with anticipation for their kiss. When their lips finally touched he could feel the heat surging through them both. The groan that rumbled through his throat was unlike any noise he had ever made before. It was almost primal in its intensity.

Suddenly, the heat rushed through him at the first touch of Goten's hand on his hard cock. He knew he something about this was wrong, but it felt so good. His hand did not seem tentative, just began stroking him in earnest. His head fell back and he moaned. Just as he could feel the rhythm of Goten stroking him increasing in tempo, he was pulled from his dream.

Trunks bolted up in bed, covered in sweat. The air was cool on his skin and he found himself breathing heavily as he became more and more awake. With a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his hair and looked over to see Goten sleeping beside him, seeming at peace. He chuckled to himself and pushed aside the blankets. He just needed to go to the bathroom and splash some water on his face, put that crazy dream out of his head. As his weight shifted, he suddenly became aware of his body's response to his dream. He was rock hard, from dreaming about Goten?

His first response was to panic, but he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It was just a dream, his horny teenage body was just working overtime. He could not stop himself from looking back at Goten and heat flooded his face. He looked away and sighed. He could just imagine what the response from Goten would be if he woke up and realized. He thought back to when they had been kids, sleeping at each other's houses. Back in those days, it had not been uncommon for one of their mothers to come in the room in the morning to wake them up for breakfast and find them wrapped around each other. The thought of Goten wrapped around him, maybe kissing him, sent a rush of energy through his body and down to his groin. The response surprised him, he stood up quickly and made his way to his bathroom.

As he splashed water on his face, it did nothing to dull his longing. He looked at his face in the mirror with disgust, what the Hell was wrong with him? He and Goten had been friends since they were babies, he had never thought about him this way before. Besides, he liked girls right? He closed his eyes and waited for the images of all the girls he had been with before, or even those fantasy images from magazines, to come parading into his mind; but it did not happen. Instead he found himself thinking back to how Goten had smiled at him this afternoon. When he had watched Goten in the classroom and had not been able to stop staring at his mouth. It was then that he felt his desire intensify. His eyes were wide again and the expression on his face was one of shock. He moved away from the mirror and resigned himself to what he would have to do if he planned on getting any sleep tonight.

Back in the bedroom, Goten was having dreams of his own. He was standing in the hallway of the school. There was no one there, except Trunks. Before he could stop himself he could hear the words escape his lips, "I love you." He closed his eyes, afraid to open them and see the reaction, then he heard his laugh.

"Are you insane?" Trunks asked, still laughing. "What the Hell are you saying? We are both guys!" Then the laughter stopped and his eyes grew cold. "You disgust me."

Goten's eyes flew open and he noticed that he was alone in the bed. He could hear the water running in the bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief. It had only been a nightmare. He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but he could not seem to stop remembering the dream he had just awoken from. This was ridiculous it had only been a nightmare. "Yeah," he thought. "But, it could easily become reality if Trunks discovered his true feelings." He rolled over and tried to fluff his pillow. He forced himself to close his eyes and attempt to tune everything out and get back to sleep.

A few minutes later, when Trunks returned to the bed, he was no closer to sleep. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing even. He could only hope that Trunks believed he was asleep. He did not think he could handle it if Trunks wanted to talk right now. He was warring between vulnerability and defensiveness. With every breath he waited for Trunks to say something, but the silence lingered. He finally allowed himself to open one eyes slightly and peek over at Trunks lying beside him. His eyes were closed and he seemed completely at peace. Goten envied him that peace. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes once more and tried to get back to sleep.

When Goten awoke to the incessant beeping of an alarm, he reached out to hit the snooze button. Instead, his hand brushed against Trunks' sleeping face. "Oh yeah," he though to himself. "I spent the night at Trunks' place last night." He quickly located the alarm clock and turned it off before it could wake up Trunks. Despite his nightmare the night before and the anxiety it brought on, he could not help but admire just how beautiful Trunks was in the early morning sunlight. He did not even realize the way he had been staring until suddenly Trunks' blue eyes were gazing back at him. "Good Morning," he began awkwardly.

"Good Morning," Trunks parroted back with a smile.

…

The school day began like many other before. Goten was surprised that for the first time this week there was no sign of Ryoki. He also did not see any sign of Miki which he had to admit made his morning. Trunks seemed bright and cheerful that morning, though he also appeared to be looking around a lot during their morning classes. Who was he looking for, Miki?

At lunch, they were seated at their table when Goten's cheery mood began to sour. Miki walked into the cafeteria and began to wave as she noticed Trunks. Suddenly, he was put off from his food and nudged his tray across the table. He watched as Trunks waved back at her and she came over to join them. It was all happening again, he was getting jealous and upset when he had no right. He knew that he should sit there and stick it out, but he could already feel the tightening pain in his chest.

Trunks, could see the discomfort in Goten's expression though he attributed it to the wrong cause. He wanted to say something, encourage Goten to make a move for Miki. As the thought crossed his mind, he could feel his emotions rising. He did not understand why he felt this way. Goten was his friend, if he had the hots for Miki he should help him. So, why did it feel like someone had just

Of course, Miki was not paying any attention to Goten. She had already launched into her one-sided discussion of how she had overslept and considered just staying home from school, but then she finally decided she would come. Goten had pushed his tray away and it looked like he was going to leave the table. "Hey Goten, where are you going?" he asked quickly.

Goten simply looked back at him with an unreadable expression. It was almost as if he had not thought Trunks was paying any attention. "Well…I….uh," he fumbled with his words for a few moments before they heard the sound of a chair being pulled from the table and both their eyes turned to see Ryoki taking the seat next to Goten.

"Hey Goten," Ryoki said with a smile. "You weren't coming to look for me were you?"

Goten's face seemed to soften and the way that he smiled at Ryoki was like a punch to his gut. He still did not understand this new attachment between the two of them that had been developing over the past few days. Goten had seemed so defensive about the whole situation and resistant to his questioning. His anger and frustration rose quickly and before he could stop himself he was glaring at Ryoki and demanding, "Who the hell invited you?"

Goten and Miki turned to stare at him as if he had grown a second head, but Ryoki only smiled at him, a frustrating little smirk. It was a smirk that he knew well and had seen often in his youth. So, this punk was taunting him? But why would he be so smug? He felt Goten's gaze on him and turned to face him. The look on his face was one of confusion mixed with surprise.

"What's your problem?" Goten asked.

Trunks knew that the look on his face was probably more shocked than it should be. What was Goten doing sticking up for this little brat soccer captain. "I just asked him who invited him," he retorted. "It is a logical question."

Goten sighed and turned back to Ryoki. "I invited him," he snapped back. "The same way you invited Miki."

Miki had recovered and seemed intent on trying to change the subject. She was introducing herself to Ryoki, who did not seem the least impressed. Trunks just sat there staring down at his tray and trying to contain his anger. The anger was coursing through him at the sight of Ryoki sitting there beside Goten, but it did not make sense to him.

"So, Ryoki what brings you into the cafeteria today?" Trunks asked casually. "Don't you usually have somewhere else to be?"

Ryoki turned back to him and flashed a brilliant smile. "I just thought I would come in and have lunch with my new best friend Goten," he rejoined.

Trunks saw red before his eyes. He had never wanted to launch himself across a table to smack the smile off of someone's face before, but now it was all he could think about. He tried to ignore him and focus on talking to Miki and Goten, but every time he turned to say something to Goten, he found him absorbed in his conversation with Ryoki.

He was never more glad to hear the bell signaling the end of the lunch period. He grabbed Goten's arm and practically pulled him from the cafeteria to their next class. It was weird for him because he knew that he was acting strange but he was unable to stop himself. Nothing had changed, but for some reason he felt more …protective …of Goten. Could this all because of that strange dream he had the night before?

During their next class, Trunks had half expected Goten to confront him about the way he had acted a lunch, but he never brought it up. He just sat there quietly reading his textbook and looked to be completely absorbed. Trunks once again found that he could barely take his eyes off of him. He took in his handsome face, dark eyes; he had never noticed just how beautiful Goten's eyes were. Suddenly, he realized the track his mind was on and looked away.

Goten's mind was replaying the entire lunch period over and over again. He had been upset when Trunks had allowed Miki to sit with them again, but seeing Ryoki had put it out of his mind. He had been so thankful that he had shown up to talk to him, because if he had to sit there and listen to that girl prattle on and on to Trunks he would have probably snapped. However, what he had not expected was Trunks reaction to Ryoki's presence. He had seemed upset that he had dared to intrude, but it did not make any sense. If Trunks had allowed Miki to come over and sit with them, why would he be so mad over Ryoki? He glanced over at Trunks and saw that he looked like he was deep in thought.

Trunks spent the last few hours of the day wondering what to do after school let out. It was Friday and he could get Goten to go out with him that evening and see a movie. He could not remember the last time the two of them had actually gone somewhere together. He always had dates that wanted to go see movies, so when he was with Goten they usually sat around one another's houses. Now, he wanted to take Goten out for a movie, maybe grab a bite to eat first. A nagging thought told him that it sounded a lot like a date, but he shook it off.

When the last bell rang and he followed Goten to his locker, he was angry to see Ryoki there waiting. "Don't you have anything better to do, than hang out in front of lockers all day?" Trunks asked bitterly. He could see Goten's surprised expression at his words, but he did not care.

"Oh, I just wanted to walk to practice with Goten," he commented casually. "I figured Goten could use the company because it looks like you are going to be busy." He was staring pointedly behind him and when Trunks turned to look, he saw Miki standing there. When he turned back Ryoki was already speaking to Goten as he opened his locker and Trunks once again felt the uncontrollable urge to hit him. He gave his own little smirk and walked up to Goten and pushed Ryoki aside with just enough force.

"Hey Goten, how about I stick around for practice? Maybe we could go do something afterwards?" As he posed his question his self satisfied smirk became a brilliant and charming smile.

As Goten saw that smile, he could feel his heart start pounding. How did anyone resist this, man or woman? "Uh…well…" he began, and then he remembered their conversation the evening before. Trunks was going to ask Miki out. Give it a few days and he would have a new girlfriend to focus on, he would once again be forgotten in favor of a girl. His expression hardened and he continued, "No, that's not necessary. You should go home and not wait around." Then with a look at Ryoki he turned and walked away. Trunks was left staring dumbfounded at Goten's retreating form, and the secretive little smirk that Ryoki gave him over his shoulder as he followed.

Miki had tried to convince him to go for coffee, but he had begged off. He had debated whether he should head down to the field and watch the practice, or just wait for him until they were finished. In the end, he ended up sitting in the grass, a good distance from the field, watching Goten. He was graceful as he moved smoothly across the field with the ball. With every goal, the other players were there to pat him on the back. It seemed that Ryoki especially was always by his side, smiling.

…

When practice was over, he watched as the players exited the field and headed to the locker room. As the minutes passed more and more people left the room, he continued to wait for Goten. After twenty minutes, it seemed everyone had left except Goten and Ryoki. What was going on in there?

Inside the locker room, Ryoki had been about to leave, when Goten had lightly grabbed his arm. The look in his eyes was one of pleading, and Ryoki had to admit that it was hard to resist it. Once they were alone, he approached him. "Is everything all right?" Goten's head was turned away from him. He reached out and touched his face, guiding it to face his own. It was then that he saw that Goten's eyes were brimming with tears. "Hey, what happened?" His voice became soothing and he quickly pulled Goten into an embrace. "It's all right. Tell me what happened."

"I was over at Trunks' place last night," Goten explained. "He told me that he wants to date Miki." Ryoki watched as he moved away and sat down on the nearby bench. "I mean I knew that already I guess, but it was different hearing him actually say it out loud." The last he had spoken more to himself, but he addressed Ryoki directly now. "What do I do? I don't know if I can keep this up much longer?"

It was a pain that Ryoki understood well. He felt the same when he saw the doting looks that Goten gave to Trunks. He knew firsthand the perils of falling in love with someone who did not return your feelings, but maybe their situations did not need to be so hopeless. Ryoki was in love with Goten, and Goten was in love with a straight boy who would never like other guys. Could he be enough for him? "I know a solution, but I am not sure you will like it."

"What is it?" Goten inquired with a hopeful note in his voice.

"You could go on a date with me," Ryoki suggested. Goten instantly looked as if he were going to refuse, so he pressed on. "Look at it this way, you said that Trunks has had lots of girlfriends and been on lots of dates right?" Goten nodded. "So, have you ever had a girlfriend? Or gone on a date?" Goten simply shook his head. "Well…maybe you should have that experience for yourself. Let me take you out on a date."

Goten looked into Ryoki's eager face and knew that he should refuse. He did not care about Ryoki the same way he did Trunks, or did he? Trunks had always been there for him before, but then why was Ryoki the one he had run to when he needed help? Would it be so bad to be with Ryoki? He sighed and then gave a small smile. "Okay." Ryoki seemed a little surprised by his answer, but did not question it.

"I promise, you won't regret this," he stated confidence, and Goten hoped he was right.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: I apologize for how long it has taken to post this chapter, hope to be posting the next installment next weekend.


	6. 6th Period: Love Never Wanted Me, But

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own DragonBall Z or Any of Its Characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

6th Period: Love Never Wanted Me, But I Took It Anyway

Trunks felt as if he had been waiting outside of the locker room for hours, as he watched the players exit. He scanned every face, searching for Goten. The minutes dragged on and it seemed that every one of the players had already gone, except for Goten and Ryoki. "Of course, those two would be together," he grumbled to himself. He could feel his frustration beginning to build again. He had hoped to catch Goten alone and ask him to spend the evening with him, but he guessed this was just how it was anymore. He was just about to go in and see what was taking the two of them so long, when they finally emerged.

As they exited, he watched the way they walked close to each other. It looked like they were whispering to each other and the scene was causing his anger to boil over. Without thinking, he approached the pair quickly, calling Goten's name. He watched as Goten looked at him with shock on his face. His pace seemed to slow and Trunks found himself rushing towards him. He could feel the smile on his face diminish as Goten's expression continued to be one of surprise; with no hint of happiness in sight. As he opened up his mouth to speak he was immediately cut off.

"Trunks! What are you doing here?" Goten demanded.

He tried to tamp down the anger that was returning in a flash at Goten's brisk question. "I did not have any plans, so I thought I would see if you wanted to catch a movie…maybe grab a bite to eat." Goten did not immediately respond, but his eyes darted over to Ryoki and back to Trunks. It was so quick that any normal person would have missed it, but he had seen it. He should take back his offer, make light of it, and let Goten off the hook, but he had no intention of being so gracious. He was tired of being left in the dark about what was happening and if he could not get all the answers he wanted, he would at least make Goten answer this simple question.

"Trunks, I thought I told you to go home," he said abruptly. Then thinking better of it continued, "I mean, I…uh…I already have plans with Ryoki."

His head was telling him to let it go, make his excuses and go home, but he ignored it. "Oh, well what are you two getting into?" he asked casually. "Maybe I could come along?"

Now, Goten's expression was not just shocked, but panicked.

"Sorry Briefs," Ryoki apologized, finally inserting himself into this awkward exchange. "Its just me and Goten tonight." He was smiling with condescension, but at the same time his eyes were watching Goten carefully.

"What the Hell is going on with you two?" he demanded, no longer able to hold back.

Goten looked like a deer caught in headlights. As Trunks observed him, he wanted to reach out for him. He wanted to wrap him in his arms and tell him that he would take care of everything if he would just tell him what was going on. What was this strange friendship between the pair, or was it even that at all? His head was still muddling through all the possibilities, each seeming more ludicrous than the last, while he waited for an answer. He watched as Goten finally hung his head and mumbled something so quiet he could barely make it out. The only word he had heard was 'date.' He took a deep breath, still attempting to calm himself, and asked, "What did you just say?"

Ryoki interjected again,, the smug look of confidence slipping just a little from his face, "He said, I set us up on a double date with some girls." Trunks and Goten both turned to stare, but Goten quickly recovered.

"Yeah," he asserted. "Ryoki has this girl he wants to go out with but he had to find someone for her friend." He gave Ryoki a quick appreciative glance. What would he do without him at times like this? He could only hope that his embellishment was believable. When he turned back to Trunks he could not peg the expression on his face; he seemed both angry and hurt. It did not make any sense to him. Why was Trunks even here? He should be off with Miki charming the panties off of her. So, why was he standing here looking offended by Goten going on a date. He could just imagine Trunks' reaction if he knew the truth about his date. It was this thought that spurred him into action. He reached for Ryoki and began pulling him along while he said, "Well, we better get going or we are going to be late. See you later Trunks."

Goten did not look back until they had reached Ryoki's car. The look on Trunks' face was like a punch to his gut. He knew that he did not owe Trunks any explanations, but he felt like he was cheating. He forced himself to look away and try to concentrate on what Ryoki had said. Trunks had been on countless dates, had dated nearly every attractive girl at their school, why should he feel guilty? He became so lost in his thoughts that he barely registered that the car had come to a stop in a parking lot. He glanced over at Ryoki and saw that he had a sad, half-hearted, smile on his face. "I can't believe I'm about to say this…" he began, running his fingers through his hair. "But, if you don't want to do this…I can just take you home."

It was an easy out for him. He could tell Ryoki to take him home and give in to this guilt he was feeling, but he shook his head. "No, I want to be here with you," he insisted.

He saw the way that Ryoki's face lit up at his words and it reminded him that he also had the power to hurt someone who cared for him. He smiled back and swore to himself that he would relax and put Trunks out of his mind.

…

Hours later, Goten had no regrets about his decision. He had worried that the entire evening would be awkward, but it was surprisingly comfortable. It seemed that with all their cards on the table, there was nothing to worry over. They had grabbed some fast food and then gone to see a movie, and now they sat in Ryoki's car just talking. He laughed as he thought back on the evening, which caught Ryoki's attention.

"What's so funny?" he asked with a smile.

"I was just thinking, this is supposed to be a date, but it doesn't really feel like one," he replied, still smiling.

"Oh, is that so," Ryoki reflected. "Why do you say that?"

Goten laid back in the seat and put his hands behind his head. "Well…I mean you have not tried to hold my hand…or flirt with me."

Now it was Ryoki's turn to laugh. "I have been trying to flirt with you all evening, but it seems you are oblivious." He moved closer and his voice got lower, huskier, as he continued. "The same way you seem oblivious to just how beautiful and…sexy… you are right now." His eyes flew open in surprise just as Ryoki's lips descended on his own. At the touch of their lips he expected to feel repulsed by someone other than Trunks kissing him, but he felt warm desire spreading through him. Unbidden, a moan rumbled in his throat as Ryoki became more aggressive, slipping his tongue through his lips. Goten had never been kissed before, he had not been prepared for how quickly he was swept away. He could easily push Ryoki away, but his hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they simply rested on his shoulders while their tongues began to duel with one another.

Ryoki pulled back for air and Goten heard another needful little moan escape from his lips. "Well your response is reassuring," Ryoki noted with certainty.

He felt control being returned to him and he quickly moved away. "You kissed me," he observed lamely.

"You were there," Ryoki continued with a laugh. Suddenly, sensing Goten's oncoming panic, his face became serious. "It was just a kiss, and it felt good, right?"

"That's beside the point!" Goten exclaimed.

"And, why exactly is that beside the point?" Ryoki asked. "If you like me, and you like kissing me, then why don't I get a chance to be with you?"

"I'm in love with Trunks! You know that!" He continued, putting more distance between them, till he was pressed right up against the car door. Ryoki was not having any of that. He scooted his body closer to make up the distance and then some.

"Look, I know that you are in love with Trunks," he began with a sigh. "That does not change that I am in love with you." He leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. He was not able to meet Goten's eyes. "Does it really need to be so hopeless for us? Do you really intend to never care for anyone but him? Even if he never returns those feelings? I'm not asking you to love me, or to be first in your heart, but I am asking if maybe we could be a comfort to each other."

Goten found himself looking away now. Ryoki had a point, as much as he might not want to admit it. When he had considered putting some distance between himself and Trunks, had it not been an attempt to lessen his pain at seeing Trunks with someone else. However, he had never once considered finding someone for himself. Ryoki was attractive, could be charming when he wanted to be, and he was willing to take whatever Goten could offer. Would he ever find anything better? Was this more than he should expect?

He could also not deny that Ryoki's kiss had affected him. He could still feel the hum of electricity that had been coursing through him, and if Ryoki's hands had wondered lower they would have felt the stirrings below his waist. He had never been kissed before, but if that was what kissing felt like with Ryoki he knew that he would not be adverse to more. He glanced back and saw Ryoki's gaze fixed on him waiting for an answer.

…

Trunks was pacing his room like a man in a cage. He had homework he could be working on, tons of books to read, or hundreds of channels on TV he could be watching, but he paced in silence. He could not stop thinking about Goten; where was he? What was he doing right now? Was he hitting it off with that bimbo Ryoki sat him up with? He stopped in his tracks, as he realized he just called some chick he did not even know a bimbo. This was absurd, his reaction to a date. He wondered if Goten had ever felt like this when he had been out on a date or had a girlfriend. "Of course not," he thought to himself. He was acting like a spoiled baby, demanding all of Goten's attention; or maybe jealous ex-girlfriend was a better description. He made his way over to his bed and collapsed onto the mattress. He and Goten were just growing up, and growing apart. He was surprised that he could feel tears coming to his eyes at the thought. He brushed them away and buried his face into his pillow. Monday, would be different. He promised himself that he would control this reaction he was having, to not demand so much of Goten, and only hope that they could stay close.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: I apologize for the amount of time it has taken me to post this and the length of the chapter. I blame my work schedule and Animal Crossing Wild World for the DS for my distraction. Thanks for everyone who continues to review and favorite this story for my motivation to keep writing. I have already started typing the next installment and hope to post it by Wednesday.


	7. 7th Period: Stood On My Roof And Tried

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own DBZ or Any of Its Characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

7th Period: Stood On My Roof And Tried To See You Forgetting About Me

It had been a few weeks since Trunks had made his promise to himself to be more understanding of Goten's new friendship with Ryoki. It had started out well, when he asked Goten to hang out and he said he had plans, he had not pressed him for answers. At the time he had expected that at some point, he would ask him and he would be free. After weeks of asking and being rebuffed every time, his patience was wearing thin. It seemed that Goten had become his own little obsession. Every day, he tried to be by his side as much as possible, glad for the times when they were in class alone; though they could not really talk much. During lunch, Ryoki and Miki were both constant presences at their table. Then every afternoon, he sat there on the bleachers watching Goten practice.

On the weekends, he would sit in his room for hours on end wandering what to do to occupy his time. At least once he would call the Son household only to be told that Goten was out with his new friend Ryoki. His response was always the same; an anger that he could barely control. It was times like this that he understood the temptation to lock oneself in the Gravity Chamber and train until they could not move or think. He knew that if this continued he would snap and say something, but what he was unsure. He knew that he really did not have a claim on Goten's time, and he should not be this upset, but that did not change his response to being rebuffed.

Goten was having issues of his own with the current situation. He hated turning down Trunks every time he asked to spend time together, but he had never thought it would go on as long as it had. Whenever Trunks would ask to spend time with him, he thought to himself, "Why isn't he with Miki?" Despite wondering this, he never asked the question; too afraid of the answer. He would just look remorseful and say that he had plans. Every time he reassured himself that Trunks would surely be dating Miki in no time, that this would be the last time he would ask. Then he would be surprised all over again the next time that Trunks approached him.

For the most part when he was with Ryoki it was relaxed and comfortable. When they were together he could almost forget about his feelings for Trunks. Of course, it did not hurt that they would usually end up alone somewhere kissing and groping each other over their clothes. Ryoki had tried a few times to unzip his pants or make his way underneath his shirt, but he would push him away every time. To be honest, the reason was not guilt or a loyalty to his feelings for Trunks but a fear and uncertainty about what came next. So every evening he returned home, disguising an erection and rushing to his room to obtain his release. Although every day passed much the same way, he could not help but feel that it was all building to something. As he stared out his window at the night sky, he wondered what the next day would bring.

The next morning, Goten found himself groaning as he reached out to shut off his alarm clock. His premonition about the day ahead, had left him unable to fall into a deep sleep; waking every hour or so to curse his alarm clock. He quickly gathered his books and dressed for school, not wanting to be late. When he finished, he rushed down the stairs and was almost out the door when he realized that Trunks was sitting at his kitchen table. He nearly slammed into the wall as he stopped himself.

"Good Morning!" Trunks called out with a smile. Trunks did not give him a chance to say anything before he commented. "I'm here to pick you up. It seems like its been ages since we got any time together, so I thought we could go to school together." He winced a little at the statement. Leave it to Trunks to cut right to the chase, while still being subtle. He guessed there was no avoiding him, no possible excuse for not being able to go to school with him.

"Sounds great," he replied with a beaming smile, hoping that it did not appear forced. As he got into the hover car with Trunks, he sighed inwardly. His feeling that this was going to be a long day was growing stronger by the second.

At school, Goten was not surprised to see Ryoki standing by the entrance to the school, But judging by the expression on his face, Ryoki was surprised to see him arriving in Trunks' car. It did not help matters that Trunks stayed glued to his side as he went to his locker and gathered his books for homeroom. It seemed he was intent on not letting Ryoki get a word in edgewise. He wanted to say something but somehow it felt as if he would be the one being rude. Maybe it was the charming way that Trunks seemed to be just obvious enough to what he was doing without being brusque. As they walked towards the classroom, he had managed to turn to Ryoki and give a shrug of his shoulders and a questioning expression.

Trunks attentiveness continued even in class. He was constantly passing him notes, usually with just simple questions, "What have you been up to?" or "How is your Lit essay coming along?" They were casual questions that showed just how long it had been since they had really talked. The guilt and pain in his heart was back. It seemed there was nothing he could do to take away the pain of being in love with his best friend. It hurt to be close to him, and it hurt to be distant; what was the solution?

By the time lunch period rolled around, Goten had become lost in his thoughts. He barely looked up when Ryoki and Miki approached their table and took what had become their usual seats. "What's wrong?" Ryoki asked in a hushed voice.

"Oh…uh…nothing," he responded, breaking free of his reverie. "I was just thinking about something."

Ryoki's gaze darted over to Trunks who stared right back at him. When he looked back to Goten, his head was bowed and he was just playing with the food on his tray. It was easy for anyone to see that something had changed, something was happening. It was even easier for him to see how it was affecting Goten; because he had been watching him from afar for years. Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. Briefs new possessive attitude, Goten's guilt, it all made sense. Trunks was in love with Goten. No normal friend, childhood buddy or not, would have become this possessive of their friend. He wondered if he even realized it himself. Obviously he had not told Goten yet, or Goten would be ecstatic. He could feel the overwhelming sadness at the realization that if Briefs pulled his head out of his ass and realized the truth, he would lose any chance he had with Goten.

He supposed that he should back off and allow the two of them to get together, but it hurt to just give up. He could give his one last shot at Goten's heart, and if he was rejected again, that would be the end of it. Thinking about being rejected, increased the pain in his heart. He knew that given the way he was feeling, that if Goten refused him, that would be the end of their friendship as well. It would be his only course of self preservation. He did not know how Goten had been able to keep it up this long, being friends with the object of his affection, watching him date and kiss other people, knowing he would never have a chance. Well for now, Ryoki had a chance and he was not going to give up just yet.

After lunch, Trunks grabbed Goten's arm and pulled him back towards their classroom. Ryoki could not help but grit his teeth in frustration as he watched them walk away. Goten never turned back, but Trunks did. Trunks flashed his own arrogant little smirk and it caught him by surprise. So, it was a fight was it? Ryoki had never lost at anything, and if it was at all possible, he would win Goten's heart as well.

He did not see Goten again until that afternoon when he arrived for practice. He barely managed to stop himself from grumbling that he was surprised Briefs had let him off his leash long enough to attend. The bane of his existence, was seated there in the bleachers watching. He still had that same little smile on his face and Ryoki could feel his blood boiling. He could feel the effects of the stress and adrenaline on his body throughout practice. Goten was effortlessly perfect and watching the smooth way that he moved was still awe inspiring.

As Goten practiced, he could not stop himself from looking up into the stands and meeting Trunks' gaze over and over again. He sighed as he realized that Ryoki would probably ask him out again today, and he was sure that Trunks was going to ask as well. He knew that he would not be able to reject him today. He decided that if Trunks was waiting outside of the locker room today, he would accept Trunks' offer to hang out. He was sure that Ryoki would be upset, but in the end Trunks was simply more important to him.

In the locker rooms, Goten could sense that Ryoki was waiting for him. He spoke with the other players and took his time changing his clothes. Goten could not stop his eyes from covertly sneaking peaks at his body as he changed. A blush tinged his cheeks and he looked away quickly. He guessed this was just a side effect of being a teenage boy and his casual make out relationship that he had developed with Ryoki. He now knew what it felt like to be kissed and held, even if it was not by the one he loved. As the other players exited, his anxiety increased. When they were alone he knew it was the moment of truth.

Outside, Trunks was once again stuck waiting. He had done this after every practice, the last few weeks and the result had always been the same. Well, he had no intention of letting Goten get away today. The minutes passed and he waved to the other players as they exited. It was sad that he knew most of their names and had become friendly with them because he was always out here waiting for Goten. He wondered if any of them questioned the strange way that Goten and Ryoki interacted with each other, or if he really was the only one who saw it as strange. When it had been at least five minutes since he had seen anyone leave, he decided that he was tired of waiting, he was going in there after him.

Inside, Goten was pinned against the locker by Ryoki's arms. "What do you mean you don't want to hang out tonight?" Ryoki demanded. Physically, Goten could easily break away but he felt held in place by Ryoki's gaze.

"I have been avoiding Trunks for weeks," Goten responded. "I think he is getting suspicious… and I feel guilty," he admitted.

"How do you know he is even waiting out there for you?" he continued, trying to suppress the note of panic in his voice.

"I don't," Goten answered truthfully. "But, if he is out there waiting for me. I am going with him."

…

Trunks heard soft voices as he walked into the entrance hallway that led to the locker rooms, but he could not quite make out what they were saying. He could not explain why, but he instinctively masked his ki and began to silently creep towards to door.

…

Ryoki knew in his heart that this was the end, he had lost. "I guess there is nothing else to say," he commented with a sigh. Then he moved his hands off of the lockers and placed them Goten's face. Without another word, he pressed their lips in a kiss. He quickly escalated their kiss, slipping his tongue through his lips and sliding it along Goten's. He heard him moan and pushed his body forward. If this was going to be the last time they kissed, than he was going to make it worthwhile.

Goten's hands made their way in to Ryoki's hair, his fingers threading through the strands. He seemed to have no control over his body as he unconsciously leaned in to his kiss. As he felt Ryoki's groin pressing against his, another moan of pleasure rumbled in his throat.

…

Trunks heard the voices stop but now he heard strange noises coming from the locker area. He quietly opened the door and carefully looked through the doorway, searching out the source of the noises. When his eyes spotted Goten and Ryoki, his jaw hit the floor. They were pressed against the lockers, kissing. He was frozen where he stood for what seemed like an eternity but was mere seconds. His eyes were fixated on them, watching every little movement. Goten clung to Ryoki, his eyes closed in pleasure. He could feel heat rushing through him as he watched. Unexpectedly, He realized that his body was responding in other ways.

He managed to shut the door and retreat, as quietly as he approached. When he made it outside into the open air, he barely spared a glance to see if anyone was watching before he took to the air, still reeling from the shock of what he had seen.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes:

I know I put this at the end of every chapter but I would to thank everyone again who reviews and or favorites this story. Hope to be posting the next chapter in a week.


	8. 8th Period: Love, Love Will Tear Us

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or any of its characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

8th Period: Love, Love Will Tear Us Apart Again

When Ryoki finally pulled his lips away from Goten's; he was torn up by the naked desire, showing in his eyes. It was easy for him to see that he could affect Goten physically, but what about his heart? His own body screamed at him and he felt an uncontrollable anger rise up within him. He let it out by swinging out at his duffel bag on the bench. The bag was sent crashing into the wall of lockers. The sound seemed to snap Goten back to reality in a flash. "Ryoki…I-," Goten began.

He cut him off quickly, "Just go!" He sighed and turned himself away from Goten. He did not know if he would be able to handle seeing him with sadness in his eyes. "Go out that door and see if Casanova is out there waiting for you." Without looking, he could almost sense Goten's change in mood. Then he heard his quick footsteps as he rushed from the locker room and the resounding slam of the door. He took a deep breath and went to pick up his abused duffel bag from the cold tile floor. He just pushed away the one person that he wanted to hold close. He stood there in the dark, quiet, room waiting. He wanted to give Goten enough time to be gone before he stepped outside. He was sure that Trunks would be there waiting for him.

…

Goten rushed down the hallway that led from the locker rooms, heading for the exit. He did not understand these feelings, he was saddened at the loss of Ryoki's comfort. But was that enough reason to give up his friendship with Trunks? He knew it was not enough for him. He may have been a fool to put himself through this, but he would never be able to truly separate himself from Trunks. He would be by his side forever; when he graduated from college, became CEO of Capsule Corp., and when he finally found himself a wife. For now, he could only hope that as he made his way outside, Trunks would be standing there smiling and waiting for him, as he had done every day for the past few weeks.

He felt lighter and happier as the doors swung open, but his heart quickly sank as he was greeted by nothing but the empty parking lot. No this could not be right, Trunks had been standing here waiting for him every day these past few weeks. Maybe he just left for a moment to get something. Or had he given up? He barely registered the tears that were quietly tracing their way down his cheeks. He just stood there, staring at the empty parking lot and hoping it was all just a mistake. After a few minutes, his shoulders slumped and the tears began to flow in earnest. Still, his feet seemed rooted to the spot; unable to flee.

Suddenly, he heard Ryoki's voice behind him. "What did you send Casanova off without you?" he demanded sardonically. "You really did not have to stick around to check on me. I am a big boy and can ha-" His words dropped off as he finally got close enough to Goten to see his tears. "What happened?"

"You were right!" He snapped back angrily. "He was not here, No one was here."

Part of Ryoki wanted to rub it in, show him how foolish he had been to chose that insensitive bastard over him; but a greater part of him wanted to comfort him. Hold him close and wipe away those tears. That was the part that won out as he dropped his duffel bag and reached out for Goten. His arms wrapped around him, drawing him into his embrace. He rested his head on Ryoki's shoulder. It was the sweetest torture Ryoki had ever known; to hold his beloved so close, but know that he was not the one he really wanted. As he held him in silence he wondered how he should proceed.

…

Trunks managed to make it into his room without running into anyone. He was thankful for this because he was sure that his expression was still one of confusion and shock. The last thing he needed right now was to be stuck trying to explain what had happened because he barely understood it himself. Goten and Ryoki had been kissing. Not just that, it looked like Goten had been enjoying it. His mind flashed back to the scene he had observed. Goten's eyes had been closed, his hands clinging to Ryoki; as if he were just trying to keep him close, and make sure their kiss did not end. As the images played back he felt a strange mix of anger and desire churning through him. What would it feel like to hold Goten and kiss him like that? He shook himself, trying to clear that thought from his brain. Why would he want that?

Besides, it did not seem to matter. It looked like Goten had found someone to kiss and it was not him, it was Ryoki. That damn bastard that had always seemed so arrogant and snooty over these past few weeks. Well no wonder, no matter what Trunks had done to try and capture Goten's attention, Ryoki possessed it all along. He stopped himself again and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, what was he thinking? It was almost like he wanted Goten's attention all for himself, the way Ryoki wanted him. That was not what he wanted…right?

He could not stop the memories that played back in his mind. The dream he had about Goten, and his body's reaction. In the bathroom, he had not been able to relieve the tension until he had relaxed and allowed his mind to think about Goten. This all seemed surreal to him. He was not supposed to have these kinds of feelings for his best friend. He wondered if Goten had ever felt this way for him. The thought made him happier than it probably should have. Then again, just because it looked like Goten was interested in guys did not mean that he had any interest in him whatsoever.

Trunks could not stop himself from wondering why he had never questioned this before. All these years when he had been going on countless dates and going through girlfriend after girlfriend, he had never once asked himself why Goten did not have a girlfriend. Now it all made sense and he could not help feeling frustrated with his own obliviousness, and saddened for reasons he could not rightly explain. Suddenly, the phone rang pulling him from his thoughts. He rushed to it looking at the caller id and hoping to see the Son residence, instead it was Miki.

He should ignore it and let it ring. She would once again leave another annoying message about getting together, but maybe that was what he needed. How long had it been since he had been out with a girl, weeks…months…it was no wonder he was having these sorts of crazy thoughts. He reached out quickly and snatched up for phone just seconds before the answering machine kicked on.

…

Ryoki sat in his car with Goten parked in a secluded spot. This was where he had planned on spending the evening, but he had certainly wished for a better mood. Goten was no longer crying but his eyes were red and puffy. He had not really known what to say to make the situation better. He had wanted to curse that insufferable, spoiled brat, for making Goten feel this way. He also knew that this hurt was going to be necessary for Goten to ever get over Trunks. The thought nagged at him though. He had seen the way Trunks' behavior had changed in the past few weeks. It had been obvious to him that Trunks' feelings for Goten were more than friendship; even if he had not yet admitted it to himself. It was also obvious to him that he was not going to be able to ignore that and pursue Goten any longer. No matter what had caused Briefs to not be standing there waiting today, like had waited every other day.

"You are not saying anything," Goten commented softly. "Aren't you supposed to be telling me what a big idiot I am right now?"

"No," Ryoki assured him quickly. "You are not an idiot."

"What do you mean I am not an idiot?" he demanded angrily. "I refuse to give up my hopeless infatuation with my best friend, even those there is nothing but pain given back to me. How else would you describe this idiocy?"

"You are in love," Ryoki answered with a small, sad, smile. "Its not idiotic to love him…though God knows I don't see his finer attributes," the last part was mumbled to be shortly followed by a bright laugh. "I guess you are probably the only one of us that knows the real Trunks Briefs, what he is underneath that Casanova façade."

Goten still looked forlorn, unmoved by his comments. He reached out his hand and touched his shoulder gently. "Listen, Goten…I don't think your goal is as crazy as you think it is."

"What do you mean?" he asked. His attention garnered by Ryoki's statement.

"I mean, that I think Trunks has feelings for you too…feelings he may not even be aware of."

"Are you insane?" Goten exclaimed in disbelief. "There is no way that Trunks feels like that for me. He likes girls…lots of girls…it…its just impossible," he insisted.

"Whatever you say," he acquiesced. "But for now, I think it might be best if I stepped out of the picture for a while. The soccer team seems to pretty much take care of itself anymore, and I have been asked to audition for a spot on a college team. I should spend some time focused on that."

"What are you saying? That we can't be friends?" Goten asked with a hint of sadness returning to his voice.

"I guess I am," Ryoki answered bluntly. "I'll be honest, I never understood how you could stand to be friends with someone you had a crush on. I know myself, I would not be able to handle." He took a deep breath and looked away. "Just sitting here, encouraging you to go after Trunks has my blood boiling with jealousy."

"I understand," Goten remarked after a few moments. He looked over at Ryoki and waited, willing him to meet his gaze.

When he finally did, he was smiling sardonically. "So, I know how absolutely pathetic this is going to sound but…could I get one last kiss?"

Goten smiled back, with more emotion than he had meant to convey. There were no words as he simply leaned in, to show his acceptance. They kissed slowly, gently, as if they both knew that though their feelings had not been equal, they had both felt for each other. When they parted, Ryoki was quick to move away and turn his face from Goten's gaze. The last thing he wanted, was for Goten to see him cry.

…

Trunks paced his room, wondering where Goten was at this very moment, was he still with Ryoki? He realized that his thoughts had once again drifted to Goten and he growled in frustration as he wiped his hand across his face. He should be wondering where Miki was; anticipating her immanent arrival. When they had spoken on the phone just moments before, he had decided on a whim to invite her over. He had been thinking about how long it had been since he had been with a girl and her phone call had seem fortuitous. She had not had any qualms about coming over to his house; she probably knew by his reputation what he had planned for her arrival.

Unbidden, he remembered when Goten had asked him how many girls he had slept with. The shock and incredulity over his best friend's face when he had casually responded the number four. If his own best friend had seemed surprised, he had to wonder what the rumors were like that followed him around the school. Not that it really mattered anyway. When Miki arrived he planned on being every bit the Casanova Ryoki taunted him with. He was sure that a little messing around with Miki was just what he needed to get Goten and the insufferable Ryoki out of his head. A few seconds later, he heard a timid knock at the door.

He sat down on his bed quickly and tried to look casual and cool, as he called out, "Come in."

The door opened slowly and Miki entered the room. She was smiling and wearing a very short and very sexy sheath dress. Despite her hesitant knock at the door, he knew she was a very confident girl. No girl could just stroll into a guy's bedroom in a dress like that and not know what would happen next. "Hi Trunks," she said with her sly smile still playing across her face. There was not a trace of indecision as she approached his bed and sat down beside him; practically in his lap. His brain should have been focused on what he should be saying, doing, not doing, to move this along, but it was muddled and confused. The only thoughts running through his brain were about Goten.

What would it be like if Goten were the one approaching him like this. Would he even have the confidence? He was normally so shy and reserved; it was unlikely. He could picture it in his brain all too easily. If Goten were sitting there on his bed with him, if he could just move in slowly, bringing them closer and closer together. Until he would casually touch their lips. Suddenly realized that he was kissing Miki while thinking about Goten. He wrenched his lips away quickly and was so shocked he did not know how to proceed. "What's wrong?" she asked.

At that moment, Trunks faced up to everything he was feeling and could not longer seem to push down inside of himself. "I like someone else," he admitted. Even though he was ready to face his newly realized feelings for his best friend, did not mean that he needed to broadcast them to the entire school.

"So, what you invited me over here, just so you could forget about some other girl?" she challenged.

He did not deign her question with an answer. He knew that she did not really need an answer. He just stood up and crossed the room to his bedroom door and opened it for her. She looked more stunned than he had felt moments before when they were kissing. Their was an apparent anger in her stride as she practically leapt from the bed and rushed out through the doorway. He did not watch her leave, just waited until he heard the slam of the front door. Within seconds he had rushed down the steps and made his way out the door. He did not spare a glance at his car, taking to the sky to get to the Son house. There was no clear plan of action once he arrived, but he knew that they needed to talk.

To Be Continued…

Auhor's Notes: It feels like it has been ages since I posted anything. Glad to be back writing once again and hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Read & Review! With the holidays and working on the conclusion to The Chase, I am planning to post the next installment to this story after Thanksgiving.


	9. 9th Period: Say My Name & His

Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z or any of its characters

Crush

By: Nova Starlight

9th Period: Say My Name and His In The Same Breath, I Dare You To Say They Taste The Same.

As Trunks flew towards the Son house he was not sure what he planned to say to Goten when he arrived. He knew that he would not be able to keep quiet about Ryoki and what he had seen that day. However, as far as everything else he was feeling, he did not know what he should say. When he landed and knocked on the door it was Chi Chi that answered, "Why Trunks, what are you doing here?"

He did not miss a beat as he answered, "I need to ask Goten something about an assignment we are supposed to be working on together."

Chi Chi looked a little surprised. "He has not mentioned any special assignment. In fact, he just called me from Ryoki's cell to tell me that he would be home soon."

At the mention of Ryoki's name, Trunks wanted to scream. He kept himself in control spare a small twitch of his face. After everything he had seen, he did not like to think that the two of them were together at that moment. What were they doing right now, while he waited for Goten? Images of the pair kissing in the locker room resurfaced in his brain, and he quickly pushed them away. "Oh…well I can just wait here for him if that's ok with you," he assured in his most polite voice.

Chi Chi stepped aside to let him in as she welcomed him, "Why of course you can wait for him. Come on in and make yourself comfortable."

When Trunks entered the Son home, he realized just how long it had been since he had come her for a visit. It was also the first time he was here without Goten right by his side. Chi Chi seemed to sense his hesitancy as he remained standing in the entryway. "Why don't you just wait for him in his room?" she suggested.

"Thanks," he remarked gratefully. "I think I will." Then he made his way up the staircase headed for Goten's bedroom. When he entered the room, his eyes searched every corner. Goten's room was sparsely decorated with the only furniture being a bed, dresser, and nightstand. With the bed as his only option for a place to sit, he elected to stand. Images of Goten and Ryoki kissing, touching, on that bed flooded his brain. He shook his head vigorously in an attempt to banish the images.

He busied himself looking through Goten's books and magazines, and staring at the digital alarm clock glowing from the bedside table. The time moved at a snail's pace and with every passing minute, his frustration was growing. Where would they be? As he was reaching his limit he began to consider going out and looking for them. Suddenly, a flash of light caught his eyes and he rushed to the window to see an approaching car. He focused in on the passengers to see that it was Goten and Ryoki. He took a deep breath and made himself stay standing at the window, waiting for Goten to come inside.

His eyes were fixated on the pair as Ryoki parked the car and they were talking. He would have given anything to be able to hear what they were saying to each other. Then as he watched Goten reached out and hugged Ryoki. Trunks's temper flared quickly and he could feel his body temperature rising. He could just imagine what his reaction would have been if they had kissed. Standing there at the second story window watching, he saw that Ryoki had noticed him out of the corner of his eye. Then Goten pulled away from their hug and looked up to meet his gaze.

Trunks felt his heart started pounding in his chest as Goten's eyes met his through the window. It was all too much, all too new for him. He turned away and began to take deep breaths. He had never felt like that before when he had looked at someone anyone. He had never once experienced such a rush of emotion just from looking at someone. How could he have been so blind all this time? How had he overlooked someone who could make him feel like this, right under his nose? All he could do now, was hope that he could convince Goten that this was as destined as it seemed to him. If not…he did not want to think about what would happen if he were rejected.

When he heard the sound of the car starting up again and pulling away, he looked down to watch as Ryoki drove off into the night. He stared at the lights as they faded into the night until he heard Goten enter the room behind him.

"You told my mom we were working on an assignment together?" he asked casually.

Trunks did not trust the expression on his face to remain disinterested so he remained facing towards the window as he spoke. "We needed to talk. I figured it was the easiest excuse for seeing you this late."

"So what did you want to talk about?" Goten asked him.

Goten's ambivalence was really starting to get him. "You really don't know?" he questioned. He could not help the way his tone began to change. His voice began to raise just a fraction with each word. "Is there anything you want to tell me…Maybe about why you have been avoiding me?"

He finally looked at him and observed that Goten really was a terrible liar. His face betrayed him as he said, "Avoiding you? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, you have been avoiding me for weeks now," he shot back. "What, all of a sudden you have an interest in joining the soccer team?"

"Why not?" Goten continued attempting to be convincing. "Just thought I would broaden my horizons before college."

Trunks scoffed, "Broaden your horizons huh? Does that include what's going on between you and Ryoki?"

Goten's last remaining composure dissolved instantly. His face was pale and Trunks almost felt sorry for him, but not sorry enough to let him weasel out of this.

"What does Ryoki have to do with this?" Goten finally managed to ask.

"That's what I would like to know," he mused out loud. "Especially since I went into the locker room today looking for you and saw you kissing him."

Goten was no longer denying anything, he fell completely silent. What could he say? Really? Trunks knew that he had backed him into a corner, but he still wanted to hear him say something. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Goten. "I mean I guess I should have wondered when you never got a girlfriend but it still seems unreal." The silence continued, and Trunks was getting desperate. "Look, Goten just tell me what is going on…tell me the truth. No more lies! No more bullshit! Just tell me what the Hell is going on with you!"

Goten was surprised at Trunk's vehement response. "If you saw me kissing him, then it looks like you know the most important part already."

"You mean you have been avoiding me because you're gay?" he demanded. "What the Hell kind of reason is that? How long have we been friends?"

Hearing Trunks say that being gay was not enough of a reason, had Goten's eyes brimming with tears. Trunks wanted to be his friend, he was only mad at him for avoiding him. He had done so much to put distance between them, but it did not seem that it had been necessary. Of course, Trunks did not know everything yet. He probably would never guess the extent of Goten's feelings for him, and if he did, would it be all over?

While Goten stood facing his best friend, his great unrequited love, he did not know how to proceed. He could only listen as Trunks continued to speak; asking questions that he would most likely never get any answers.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Then he paused and took a deep breath, turning his face back to the window. His voice became quieter, so much so that Goten barely heard what he said next. "What is so great about him?"

He could not believe his ears, but he did not dare ask him to repeat it. "It's not just about Ryoki," he countered.

"I know that," Trunks stated, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I just mean, why pick him? Even if you are gay, why did you pick him? Instead of…"

Goten suddenly remembered what Ryoki had told him earlier that evening; how he had felt that Trunks might have feelings for him too. Could it be true? Trunks's statement had trailed off, but he needed to know what he had been about to say. "Instead of who?" he questioned. "Who did you want me to pick?" He tried to search out the answers he needed in Trunks's face, but he was unreadable as ever.

The silence was heavy and the tension thick. "You are not the only one who wants answers," Goten rejoined. "You have to give me some answers too. So, tell me now, who you wanted me to pick?"

"How about me?" Trunks whispered, not raising his gaze from the floor.

Before Goten could speak, or even think of a response to that statement, Trunks had crossed the room and pulled him into an embrace. He was locked in Trunks' arms staring up into his eyes and knowing that he must have looked shell shocked. As he opened his mouth to speak, it was covered by Trunks, and he was being kissed. This was not like any kiss he had ever had before; not that he had a wild and varied repertoire to look back on. He was going weak in the knees, his hands reaching out for something to hold on to, they gripped Trunks's shoulders.

Trunks was losing himself in their kiss while trying to stay focused. His hands found Goten's ass and cupped it bringing them closer. He could hear Goten's little whimpers of pleasure muffled by his mouth. He was kissing Goten! He was kissing a boy! He knew he should be more freaked out by what he was doing but he could only think about just how good it felt. As Goten remained in their embrace, clinging to him he pondered to himself, "Maybe it was not too late after all." With that thought he felt rejuvenated; empowered. He deepened their kiss, sliding his tongue through Goten's lips to play with his.

As they kiss he realizes that his body is heating up and Goten is hardness is pressing into his leg. He pulls away, breaking their kiss. "Ryoki could never kiss you like that." The statement had meant exude confidence, but his voice was ragged and breathless from their kiss. To Goten, it had seemed to almost sound as if he were pleading.

Hearing Trunks' comment, he had to wonder if that was what was really motivating all of this. Did Trunks really want him, or did he just not want Ryoki to have him? Trunks had been the center of his world and his only close friend for so long, would he go so far just to stay that way? "It's too late," he commented. "I have made my choice."

Trunks' expression changed to one of anger. His hands moved into Goten's hair and pulled their mouths back together. Once again, Goten found himself clinging helplessly to Trunks. His lips, his body, it was all just a plaything for Trunks to use however he wanted. His resistance was crumbling and just as he was about to give in, Trunks broke their kiss. Even though he had separated their mouths, Trunks continued to hold him tightly. He leaned in and pressed his forehead to his and closed his eyes. "Is that really what you want?" he posed the question sounding breathless and confused. His eyes remained closed as he breathed deeply in his nose before making a sound bordering on pain. "If you really want Ryoki, I will…I will let you go." When there was no immediate response he continued. "You are meant for me, I'm the best for you. You are the one I want Chibi."

After saying what he had wanted to say, Trunks began to step back, releasing his hold. This time it was Goten that was not going to let him get away. He launched himself into Trunks' arms. "You are the one I want," he exclaimed.

Finally, it was Trunks' turn to look stunned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Goten could not stop himself from laughing, he felt lighter than air. "I love you," he answered. "I have been in love with you for years. I never thought you would ever feel the same way about me."

"What about Ryoki?" Trunks continued.

"He had a crush on me," Goten explained. "We started spending time together because I was lonely."

"So you still love me?" Trunks asked with a smile that was sexier to Goten than it had ever seemed to be before.

"Yes," he answered. In a flash, they were kissing again and Goten wished that sunrise would never come.

…

The next day at school, Trunks was glued to Goten's side as they entered the building. Goten observed that he seemed to be watching everything and everyone around them very carefully. "What are you doing?" he asked finally.

"Looking for Ryoki," he answered quickly. "I am going to be right here beside you when you dump him."

Goten wanted to laugh as he realized that he had never told Trunks that he and Ryoki were already over. "That won't be necessary…you see…we kind of already broke up the other evening."

"What?" Trunks shouted. "So, what was all that stuff about you had made your choice?"

Goten smiled and said, "I had made my choice, I chose you.:" By this time they had arrived at Goten's locker and he opened it up and began to gather his books for his first class. "Besides, I needed to see if you really wanted me or if you just wanted me away from Ryoki."

Trunks smiled a little devilish smile and leaned in pressing his body against Goten's back. "It may have taken me a long time to realize this," he whispered breathily into Goten's ear. "But, you see I have quite a crush on you, and I am not letting you go."

…

The End

"Emotions, Drama, Broken Hearts, & Lies

And They Say These Were The Best Days of Our Lives?"

-Anonymous

_High School Yearbook Quotes_

Author's Notes: I'm thankful to everyone who read/reviewed/subscribed/favorited this story. Thanks to all of you for keeping me motivated. I still have three Trunks & Goten fics I would like to write in the future so keep checking back if you are interested in reading more TruTen goodness!

Thanks…

Musika590

GoGoGoten

NocturnalDayDream

IamKrystalSoul

The Fujoshi

RoGuE-WhItE-DrAgOn

FlamelessFire0

GohanKicksAss

sparton474

North Winds

Dragoness

taybear100

DevilsNvrCry

yOURVIDFaN

WackyLady

Elyseexp

TruTenLoVeR

XxAnimeTechnoFreakxX

milk goku

AnastasiaSnape

YuzukiChitsuki

Zyujin

AzumangaGoten

ibzzo

Inuokamilove16

cheshirejin

imaribaby

Trabeck

DigiDBZ

L.B.-chan1

PHIL

eviloldersister

LAzyL0ve

PrincessRima

kittysquyres

MISA MISA BABY DEVIL ANGEL

Sanako03

Leafia

Muchacha

101848

Lururi

kallinite

DetoxAngel

Masterday

Midnight Rayne 13


End file.
